


Faking It

by Viefster



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 11:20:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17703389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viefster/pseuds/Viefster
Summary: Draco Malfoy is having doubts about his relationship with Pansy. When he finds out she has been cheating on him, he thinks of a plan to get back at her.He asks Emily Johnson, a sixth year Ravenclaw who happens to hate Pansy, to help him make Pansy jealous.But what happens when they actually start to like each other?





	1. ~ 1 ~

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone :) 
> 
> My name is Vivian, I'm 27 and from the Netherlands. I've loved writing my entire life! This story is a fanfic I wrote for a writing challenge on the facebook-group Dumbledore's Army.  
> I hope you'll enjoy, even though I created some of the characters myself and decided not to go for a ship with this one :)  
> Please forgive me any spelling errors since English isn't my native language.  
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> \-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Excuse me, what did you just say?”  
“Oh, you heard me!”  
“I dare you to say it again!”  
“Emily, let it go,” Alicia says as she tries to drag me away from Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy’s lapdog.  
“Let me go,” I say quietly before I turn back to Pansy.  
“I said that you’re nothing more than Malfoy’s pathetic little slave. Seriously, can’t you think for yourself?”  
I’m positive she would’ve hit me if professor McGonagall hadn’t just arrived.  
“What’s going on here?” she asks as she watches us standing only inches from each other.  
“Nothing professor,” I say as I look Pansy up and down and throw her one last dirty look. Then I take several steps back to create some space between us.  
“Keep it that way, miss Johnson, miss Parkinson,” McGonagall says as she throws me and Pansy a strict look.  
After I took my seat and McGonagall explained to us what today’s class is about, I turn to Alicia.  
“That evil little-”  
“Yes, I know,” Alicia interrupts me, “but you seriously need to calm down. One of these days you’ll end up punching her in the face or something. Nothing good will come from it.”  
“I know, but she’s just so annoying!” I huff. “I think it was about time that someone put her in her place. She’s just as arrogant as her boyfriend. Those two always strutting around like they’re the King and Queen, feeling like they’re so much better than the rest of us. She had it coming, Alicia.”  
“I know, I know. Just do yourself a favor and turn it down a notch,” she says.  
“Fine. I’ll ignore her from now on,” I sigh.  
Alicia seems satisfied with that answer as she smiles briefly. Then she turns to work on McGonagall’s assignment.  
After looking Pansy’s way one more time I follow Alicia's lead.

“Draco, did you even listen to me?”  
“Hm, what?”  
“Ugh, you’re unbelievable!”  
Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini are sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, eating lunch.  
“I just told you that that annoying little Ravenclaw keeps talking back. She needs to learn to have some respect.”  
“What Ravenclaw?”  
“Emily Johnson.”  
“Who is Emily Johnson?” Draco asks while looking at Blaise.  
“I have no idea,” Blaise answers as he shrugs.  
“Emily Johnson is the girl who just told me today that I am nothing more than your, how did she stated it again? Oh right, your pathetic little slave.”  
“Well, that’s just true, right?” Blaise laughs.  
“Oh shut up!” Pansy screams as she punches Blaise against his shoulder.  
“Woah, stop it, will you?” he says. “Draco, you seriously need to calm down your girlfriend.”  
“I’m not sure why a girl you don’t even know that well irritates you so much,” Draco says as he takes an absent bite from his toast.  
“Of course, you’re boys! How could you understand? Or even try to? Never mind!”  
Then she storms off, leaving Blaise and Draco behind.  
“I have no idea what her problem is,” Blaise says as he watches her walk away.  
“Me neither. Does it make me a shitty boyfriend if I say I don’t really care?”  
“Kind of, yes,” Blaise says, but then he grins.  
“Girls and their weird issues with each other is something I’ll never care to understand. She’s clearly overreacting.”  
“You could say that, yes,” Blaise responds. “I’m glad she’s your girlfriend instead of mine. I’m pretty sure she would drive me up the wall within days!”  
“I guess you can imagine how I feel sometimes.”  
Blaise looks at Draco with raised eyebrows.  
“Seriously? Could have fooled me, mate. You two seem, well, happy.”  
“Happy?” Draco huffs. “Happy, he says.”  
“You’re right, maybe ‘happy’ isn’t the best word to describe it, especially when you’re involved,” Blaise says amused.  
“Piss off,” Draco says before he grins. “I’m just saying that she just … annoys me lately. I don’t know.”  
“Do you wanna stay with her?”  
“I’m not sure.”  
They stay silent for a moment.  
“Well mate, I have to go. Classes and stuff. I’ll talk to you later,” Blaise says as he stands up. “Let me know what you decide.”

“What’s the matter?” Goyle asks Pansy as she walks into the Slytherin common room at the end of the day.  
“Draco was being an ass again,” Pansy huffs.  
“Oh, so that’s why you were storming off during lunch,” Goyle grins. Pansy rolls her eyes.  
“Come here,” he says as he reaches out his hand. Pansy takes it and he pulls her into his lap.  
“I’ll be your distraction as well as your dirty little secret for the time being,” he says while he kisses her gently.  
“It’s a good thing that you are. He is driving me crazy sometimes …”  
Goyle presses his lips against her cheekbone, making her giggle.  
“I’m so glad you’re around,” Pansy says. She looks at Goyle for a moment, then she kisses him passionately.  
They let go of each other a little while later.  
“I have to tell you something,” Goyle says.  
“What’s that?”  
“I overheard a conversation Blaise and Draco were having right after you left.”  
“Go on.”  
“Draco said that he’s been having doubts about being with you. I heard him say that he didn’t know if he wanted to stay with you.”  
“Are you absolutely sure about this?” Pansy asks.  
“Positive,” Goyle confirms.  
“He’s not dumping me,” Pansy says almost immediately.  
“How can you be so sure?” Goyle asks.  
“Draco very well knows that he will never find someone better than me. He will keep me around, I’m sure of it.”  
“For your sake I hope you’re right,” Goyle says.  
“I’m always right,” she replies. Then she gets up from his lap, takes his hand and pulls him up.  
“Let’s go find ourselves a little more privacy, shall we?”  
Goyle grins as he follows Pansy to the dorms. “At least we’ll have enough time tonight. Malfoy has Quidditch practice!”

 

After dinner in the Great Hall, Alicia and I meet up in the Ravenclaw Tower. We have recently discovered that being a Sixth year student isn't all fun and games and so we decided to join forces and work our way through an insane amount of homework together.  
“I can’t believe it,” Alicia says as she sighs loudly. “An essay about Amortentia for professor Slughorn, an essay for professor McGonagall about Human Transfiguration and practicing non-verbal spells for Charms. I don’t even know where to begin!”  
“Let’s start on that essay for professor Slughorn,” I say, “just to get it out of the way.”  
“You’re right,” she says. Then she picks up her copy of Advanced Potion-Making, finds the right chapter real quick and starts reading out loud.  
“Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in existence. It’s considered to be a powerful and highly dangerous potion. As stated it’s dangerous to underestimate a powerful infatuation. Despite its power, Amortentia doesn’t create actual love; it’s impossible to manufacture or imitate love. The person under the effect of the potion will only hold an obsession for the person who administered it.”  
“Right,” I reply, quickly writing it all down.  
“You know who would gladly feed you some Amortentia?” Alicia asks with a huge grin on her face.  
“Don’t even go there, Alicia, I’m warning you!” I say, while I feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.  
“Oh come on Emily, everyone knows Liam is madly in love with you!”  
“No he’s not, we’re just friends,” I try to reason with her, but she refuses to listen to me.  
“According to you, yes. But not to him you’re not,” she says. “You should put that poor boy out of his misery.”  
Liam is a seventh year Ravenclaw and I consider him one of my best friends. I’ve known him for many years now and he is always there when I’m in need. No matter what’s going on, Liam always has my back and I will always have his.  
Alicia, however, is convinced that he is having romantic feelings for me, but I don’t really believe that. Or maybe I just choose to ignore it for the sake of our friendship.  
“You are making way too much of this,” I say. “I refuse to discuss this any further. I really want to finish this essay now if you don’t mind.”  
“But Emily…” Alicia starts.  
“Alright, fine! I’ll find a more quiet place to study then!” I say as I stand up, collecting my things.  
“Are you mad at me?”  
“No, I’m not mad at you,” I say as I look at her with a tired look on my face. “But I really, really don’t want to talk about Liam. He knows I don’t have feelings for him and I assure you he’s totally okay with that. Now, if you will excuse me…”  
I start making my way to the library and once I get there, I find myself a nice little desk in the back where I can work on my essay in peace.

Draco is on his way to the Quidditch patch for his weekly practice when he hears someone calling his name.  
“Mr. Malfoy.”  
As he turns around he sees professor Snape walking towards him.  
“Quidditch practice has been cancelled for tonight due to extreme weather.”  
“Extreme weather?” Draco scoffs. “It’s raining a little.”  
“It’s out of my hands, Malfoy. If you want to complain about it, I suggest you send professor Dumbledore an owl. Now, if you will excuse me.”  
Draco waits until professor Snape is out of sight. Then he turns around and starts walking towards the dungeons. If there’s no practice tonight, he might as well turn in early.  
It’s around eight when Draco walks into the Slytherin common room. After glancing around the room he knows he’s alone. He drops onto the couch and stares at the fire, trying to unwind after a long day. After a while he hears a girl giggle.  
“Oh great,” he whispers softly, rolling his eyes. It wouldn’t be the first time one of the guys decides to take a girl into the back and have a nice and cozy ‘meeting’ with her.  
All of a sudden he hears a door open and the girl’s laughter becomes louder.  
Draco raises an eyebrow as he recognizes her voice. But that can't be. Is that really-  
“Pansy?” Draco says in utter disbelief as he rises from the couch. “What the fuck is this?”  
For a moment nobody says a word. Then Draco looks at the boy she’s with.  
“Fucking hell, is that you, Goyle? Are you seriously here right now with my girlfriend?”  
Goyle quickly removes his arm from Pansy’s shoulder and Draco can tell they are both feeling extremely awkward.  
“I seriously thought you weren’t coming back until later, mate. Like, much later,” Goyle says, while he stares at Draco uncomfortably.  
“That is beyond the fucking point, don’t you think so?” Draco fires back. “What the hell are you doing?”  
He watches Goyle searching for words.  
“Never mind answering that question, thinking was never your strong suit.”  
“I overheard you and Blaise in the Great Hall this afternoon. You said you were having doubts about your relationship.”  
“And apparently I gave you permission to jump in bed with her,” Draco growls, trying to keep his anger under control.  
“Listen, Draco, I can explain-” Pansy begins, but Draco rises a hand to silence her.  
“I don’t give a fuck about your explanation, Pansy,” he hisses. “You lost all your credibility pulling this little stunt. I can’t believe you would sink that low. And you,” he says, while looking at Goyle in utter disgust, “what did you think? You overheard me talking to Blaise and thought you could take a chance?”  
“It’s not like that-” Pansy begins.  
“Oh really?”  
“You were so distant, and I really felt like you didn’t like me anymore.”  
“Well, by the looks of it I was right about that, wasn’t I?”  
“I’m sorry, Draco.”  
“Sorry you got caught, maybe.”  
“I was gonna tell you-”  
“Oh really? And when exactly were you planning on doing so?”  
“Soon…”  
“Well, not soon enough. You two deserve each other.”  
After those words Draco storms out of the common room, leaving Goyle and Pansy behind.

“How could this happen?” Pansy screams at Goyle dramatically. “We’re screwed! I’m screwed!”  
“How was I supposed to know he’d be back by eight?” Goyle says in a panicked voice. “He was supposed to be at Quidditch practice till at least ten!.”  
“Well, apparently you were wrong!” Pansy shouts while she throws her arms up.  
“I can’t seem to understand why you’re so angry,” Goyle says. “Are you sure you’re not in love with him anymore?”  
“You know damn well I’m only using him for my reputation, Goyle,” Pansy replies. She’s trying to calm down but the tone in her voice is an angry one. “He is well respected in our circle. Being with him does good things for me. Let’s say it opens certain doors.”  
“I could do that for you as well,” Goyle suggests.  
“I hate to break it to you, Goyle, but your father is an absolute nobody compared to Draco’s father. You couldn’t get me further in life even if you wanted to.”  
“I’m sorry,” Goyle mumbles, clearly embarrassed.  
“Well, at least you’re here to help me pass the time,” she says. “But first I need you to help me find a way to get back in Malfoy’s corner.”

Draco never would’ve imagined that this little situation would affect him this much, but it does. As he is marching through the corridors of Hogwarts trying to think of a place he can go to at this hour, he tries to figure out why this upsets him. It’s not because his relationship with Pansy is over. If anything, he’s more relieved that it has come to an end and that he didn’t have to end it himself. Also, he kind of expected Pansy to do something like this. She is always sucking up to anyone who finds her remotely pretty. Disgusting, really. It’s not because of Goyle either. It has been a long time since he was friends with that oaf and he found a much better friend in Blaise. It has to be because they went behind his back and lied straight to his face. No matter how you look at it, that’s just low. Without thinking about it he walks into the library, not really paying attention to his surroundings. All of a sudden he sees a girl sitting at a desk in the back. She’s studying. Her blonde curly hair is casually draped around her small shoulders and she has a determined look on her face as she writes down words in an insane tempo. As he looks at her some more, he notices that she’s wearing the Ravenclaw badge. Suddenly she looks up at him, but he pretends he didn’t see her and starts pacing again. So typical, just when he really wants to be alone, there’s another obstacle he needs to deal with. Just as he decides he will leave to find another place where he can sit and pout, the girl starts talking to him.

 

I’ve been sitting in the library for several hours when suddenly the door flies open. A highly agitated Draco Malfoy comes barging in and starts to pace between the bookshelves. He turns around, facing my direction and I can see a troubled look on his face. I can tell that he saw me, but he pretends he didn’t as he is walking away from me. Even though I don’t really like him, I’m kind of curious to find out what happened.  
“Everything okay?” I ask, slowly putting my quill on my desk.  
Draco’s reaction to my question tells me that he didn’t expect me to say something.  
“Why the fuck do you care?” he fires at me.  
“I don’t,” I say while I shrug. “You seem angry, is all.”  
“Mind your own damn business,” he snaps.  
“Okay, have it your way then,” I say. I’m just about to continue working on my essay when he takes a seat not far from me.  
“You’re a Ravenclaw,” he says. It’s not a question.  
“Correct,” I say. “You’re a Slytherin.”  
He looks at me with a scoffed look.  
“Stating the obvious, are we? What’s your name?”  
“Emily.”  
“Last name?”  
“Johnson.”  
He looks at me in a curious way.  
“Oh, really?” he asks.  
“Um, yes, why?”  
“No reason.”  
“So why are you angry?”  
“Didn’t I tell you to mind your own business?” he says irritated.  
“Well, you were clearly distracting me from minding my own business when you came barging in here, didn’t you?”  
He stares at me for a moment.  
“Touché.”  
“Well, anyway, if you’re not gonna tell me what happened I’m gonna leave. It’s getting late and I wanna go to sleep soon.”  
I gather my things and start heading for the door. Right before I leave I hear him say: “Pansy cheated on me. Isn’t that kind of funny?”  
I slowly turn around and look at him in total awe.  
“She cheated on you?” I ask quietly. “Well, how’s that for karma…”  
“Karma, seriously?” he huffs.  
“Well, not to be rude or anything, but you’re kind of an asshole, you know? Always picking on people. Now it’s you for once.”  
“Fuck you,” Draco says as he stands up, looking at me angrily. “I don’t need this right now.”  
And with those words he storms right past me and out of the library.

When I return to the Ravenclaw tower I see Alicia sitting in a corner, a pile of books in front of her. She’s working on McGonagall’s essay and by the looks of it she’s in trouble.  
“Alicia, you’ll never believe what just happened,” I say as I walk up to her, already forgotten about our argument earlier.  
“Not now Emily, this essay is eating me alive,” she sighs without looking up once.  
“Look, I’ll help you with it, just listen to me!”  
Maybe it’s the tone in my voice, but apparently she decides that whatever it is I have to tell her is more important than her unfinished paper and she closes her book.  
“Okay fine, but this better be good.”  
I tell her about Malfoy and how he started a conversation with me, how Pansy apparently cheated on him and how I reacted to that news.  
“Don’t you think that was kind of harsh?” Alicia asks.  
“Harsh? Are you serious? It’s Draco Malfoy we’re talking about here! How could I possibly be harsh? It was nowhere near as bad as the things he does to other people.”  
“Well, no, but he got cheated on, Emily. The least you could’ve done was keep your mouth shut.”  
We sit there in silence for a moment and even though I hate to admit it, I’m starting to think she’s probably right.  
“Well, maybe I could’ve been nicer,” I mumble under my breath.  
“Yes, maybe.”  
“Well, it’s too late now,” I say. “What’s done is done.”  
Alicia rolls her eyes as she smiles at me.  
“I’m off to bed, okay? I don’t feel like dealing with that stupid essay anymore. I’ll finish it in the morning. Good night.”  
“Good night,” I say as I watch her leave to the dorms.  
Long after she went to bed I’m still thinking about Draco Malfoy and the way I talked to him. Was it really that wrong?

It’s close to eleven when Draco finds Blaise sitting close to the fire in the Slytherin common room.  
“Have you seen Goyle?” Malfoy asks.  
“No, why?” Blaise answers.  
“What about Pansy?”  
“She went to bed ten minutes ago. Do you need her for something?”  
“Hell no,” Draco answers in a dark voice.  
“Would you mind telling me what's going on?” Blaise asks, clearly confused.  
“Well, apparently Pansy cheated on me and has been doing so for quite some time now.”  
Blaise stares at Draco in utter shock.  
“She did what?! With who?”  
“Goyle.”  
“What, with that rat? I can’t believe this!”  
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, neither would I,” Draco says. “But yes, it’s true.”  
“How do you feel about it?” Blaise asks.  
“More than anything, I feel betrayed.”  
“Well yes, I can imagine.”  
“Anyway, that’s not all that has happened tonight.”  
Blaise looks at Draco with a questioning look on his face.  
“You want to tell me there’s even more?”  
Draco tells Blaise about his little altercation with Emily Johnson, the Ravenclaw who happens to be wholeheartedly hated by Pansy.  
“Wow, now that’s really something,” Blaise says.  
“Yes well, I can see why Pansy dislikes her to be honest,” Draco huffs. “She called me an asshole, can you believe it?”  
“I’m sorry to break it to you mate, but you kind of are sometimes.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Oh come on, you know you are! You need to insult at least five people to consider a day well spent.”  
Draco says nothing.  
“Maybe you can get back at Pansy…” Blaise says slowly.  
“What do you mean?”  
“Well, you say you’ve met Johnson.”  
“Yes, so?”  
Blaise looks at Draco with a grin on his face.  
“Wait, you mean to use her to make Pansy jealous?”  
“Or ask her to help you.”  
Draco and Blaise stare at each other for a moment.  
“That’s insane. Apart from the fact that she will never participate in such a childish plan, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t even work. And even if it would, I don’t even like her.”  
“Listen, Pansy completely fucked you over,” Blaise says. “You can’t let her get away with it. You need to let her know what she’s missing out on! You have nothing to lose. It even sounds like fun.”  
“You’re crazy,” Draco says. “Completely crazy. I’m gonna leave for bed. We’ll talk later.”  
“Sure mate. Just think about what I’ve said,” Blaise says, but Draco is already on his way out.


	2. ~ 2 ~

The next morning in the Great Hall. Draco is sitting at the Slytherin table, trying to ignore Pansy who is constantly trying to get his attention while he is watching Emily talking to a girl sitting to her right, who he believes is her friend Alicia.  
“Morning mate,” Blaise says as he sits next to Draco, grabbing bacon and eggs. “Pansy is dying to talk to you I believe.”   
“Well, too bad,” Draco mumbles, continuously staring at the Ravenclaw table.   
Blaise follows his gaze.   
“Just go talk to her. Give Pansy what she deserves.”   
“Will you please just butt out of it?” Draco says through gritted teeth.   
“Fine, I’ll say no more.”   
“Thank you.”   
“Oh no,” Blaise says suddenly.  
“What?” Draco asks, but then he hears Pansy's voice.   
“Draco, can I please talk to you?”   
“Time to get out of here,” Blaise says quickly and Draco watches him leave.  
“What do you want, Pansy?”   
“I want to explain, please.”   
Draco watches Emily get up from the Ravenclaw table, gathering her things and leaving for her first class.  
“I have no desire to talk to you, Pansy. I’m not interested in anything you have to say. I would appreciate it if you would just leave me alone. If you have something you want to talk about you can go to Goyle. Apparently you have been doing so for the last couple of weeks, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get used to. Now, if you will excuse me.”   
Without giving her as much as another look he walks past her and out of the Great Hall.   
He can hear Pansy’s footsteps behind him as she follows him outside.  
“I only did it to make you jealous!” she shouts desperately. Draco pretends he didn’t hear her as he’s walking towards the dungeons for Potions class.  
“Draco, wait!”  
“God, will you just leave me alone?!” he growls as he turns around, but it isn’t Pansy’s face that’s staring back at him.  
“Woah, easy there,” Emily says. She looks offended.  
“I thought you were Pansy,” Draco replies. “What do you want?”   
“I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I came to the realization that I might have been a little too harsh on you. But now that I see the way you act I think I treated you exactly the way you deserved.”  
As Emily looks at him angrily, Draco sees the expression on Pansy’s face in the corner of his eye. She is standing no more than five feet away and watches him and Emily with shock and disgust. Emily turns to walk away and in that moment Draco makes up his mind.  
“Johnson, meet me in the courtyard this afternoon, after class. I have something to ask you.” 

 

I reach Professor McGonagall’s classroom just in time and sit down next to Alicia trying to catch my breath.  
“You’re late, where were you?” Alicia whispers, a little irritated.  
“I’ll tell you later,” I whisper back.   
“Silence everyone,” professor McGonagall says shortly after her arrival. “I have an announcement to make. As most of you probably know Valentine’s day is coming up and professor Flitwick thought it would be nice to throw you all a dance.”   
The reactions in the classroom vary from excitement to panic.   
“Now, don’t even think about staying in your dorms, because everybody is obligated to attend.This dance will take place in the Great Hall, but don’t be alarmed. We’re putting the decorations up only three hours before the start and we will make sure that everything is cleaned up before breakfast the following day. ”   
“I don’t mind, I’d love a dance!” Alicia says and I can tell she's beyond excited. “Maybe you could ask Liam!”   
“You ask Liam,” I bite back while I’m doing my very best not to look at her.  
“Well, that’s it for now. I want you all to open your books and turn to Chapter twelve. We’re going to learn about Conjuring Spells today.”   
“Now, are you going to tell me why you were late?” Alicia mumbles under her breath as she’s looking up the right chapter.  
“I went to apologize to Malfoy,” I admit reluctantly.   
“Seriously?”   
“Yes. I thought about what you said and I realized that maybe you were right, so I walked up to him this morning and made an attempt to apologize.”   
“An attempt?”   
“Yes. Well, as it turns out I was completely right about Malfoy and he was being an asshole once again. He seemed to be under the impression that I was Pansy and had trouble acting civil even after he discovered that I wasn’t. Pansy was standing close enough to hear our conversation though.”  
“Oh I bet the look on her face was beyond sour!” Alicia chuckles.  
“She didn’t look too happy about it. no,” I say as I grin.   
We both take a moment to enjoy Pansy’s misery, then I turn to Alicia again.  
“He said he wants to meet me this afternoon to ask me something,” I say quietly.  
She turns her head so fast that I’m sure it must’ve hurt.  
“Ask you what?”   
“I don’t know. He asked me to meet him in the courtyard after class.”   
“Are you going?”   
“I’m not sure.”   
The look on Alicia’s face is exactly the look that always gets me in trouble.  
“I think you should go!” 

“So let me get this straight,” I say, after I heard Draco’s explanation. I’ve decided to meet up with him and hear him out. We’re sitting on a bench in the courtyard. “You want me to pretend we’re dating to piss Pansy off?”   
“That’s the plan,” Draco says.   
“But, out of everyone you could have chosen, why did you have to pick me?”   
“Isn’t that obvious?” Draco asks, raising his eyebrows. “She absolutely hates you. It would be the perfect revenge if it’s you.”   
“And what makes you think I would actually participate in this so called ‘plan’?” I say with a scoffed look.  
“I was under the impression that you hate her just as much as she hates you,” Draco says.  
“Well, let’s say that if she was on fire and I had a glass of water, I’d drink it,” I say as I watch Draco trying to stifle a grin.   
“So, it’ll be the perfect opportunity to make her feel miserable for you too.”   
I take a moment to consider it and in my head I’m already planning situations in which I can make sure she sees us together.   
“Ok, I’ll do it,” I say after a while.  
“Good. Just don’t forget we’re faking the whole thing.”   
“Seriously Malfoy, don’t flatter yourself too much,” I say, giving him a dirty look.  
“One more thing, you can’t tell anyone we’re doing this. It’s best if no one knows,” Draco says.  
“Well, I have to tell Alicia. She’ll be asking questions. But she won’t tell anyone else, I’m sure of it.”   
“Fine, but only her. I’ll tell Blaise.”   
“I have to say you surprise me, Malfoy,” I say.   
“Why’s that?”   
“Well, being the asshole you are it wouldn’t have surprised me at all if you had just tried to dig up some dirt about me and blackmail me into it or something.”  
“Well, maybe I’m not the asshole you think I am,” he says. Shortly after that he stands up.  
“Just follow my lead from now on, Johnson. That’s all you need to do.”   
I watch him walk away.  
What the hell did I just say yes to?

 

“So you’re telling me that you are Malfoy’s lapdog now?” Alicia asks me with eyes widened.  
“Shut up! No of course not. We’re pretending,” I say.  
We’re sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast. I wanted to talk to Alicia yesterday but I couldn’t find her.  
“I can’t believe you actually agreed to this,” she says.  
“Well to be honest, me neither.”   
“So now what?”   
“I don’t know. I’m sure he will take care of it. He didn’t give me any instructions, he just said to follow his lead.”   
“And here I am thinking you hate Malfoy,” she says.  
“Well, as it turns out I hate Pansy more. I can’t wait to wipe that grin off her face.”  
“We’ll see how it goes, I suppose,” Alicia says as she’s pouring herself a glass of orange juice.   
“By the way, where were you yesterday?” I ask.  
“Oh right, I wanted to tell you: I asked McGonagall if I could join the Valentine dance committee and she said I could! So that’s why I- but- oh Emily, that’s it!”   
“What?” I ask, not able to follow her so quickly.  
“The dance!” she says, her eyes filled with enthusiasm. “That’s the perfect opportunity for you and Malfoy to put on a little show for Pansy!”   
“Will you keep it down a little?” I whisper to her. “This is supposed to be a secret, remember?”   
“I’m sorry, you’re right,” she says, but her enthusiasm is persistent. “You have to agree with me though!”   
She’s right. It would be perfect.

 

“She said yes?”   
“Apparently.”   
“Nice!”  
Draco is filling in Blaise about his agreement with Emily Johnson during an extremely boring speech given by professor Binns during History of Magic.  
“How did you get her to agree?” Blaise asks.  
“I didn’t. She just wants to make Pansy suffer I guess,” Draco says while he shrugs. “It wasn’t all that hard to get her on my side.”   
“Are you sure this is just about revenge? What if Pansy wants you back?”   
“Do you seriously think I would take her back after the stunt she pulled?” Draco hisses. “Sometimes I wonder if your mom dropped you on your head as a baby.”   
“Shut up,” Blaise says, grinning regardless.  
“I will never take her back. She betrayed me and she will pay the price for it. That’s all there is to it.”   
“So how are you gonna make this work?”   
“Good question. I haven’t really thought about it. Any suggestions?”   
“Well,” Blaise says after a short moment of silence, “you need to get to know her I suppose. At least a little. If you need to pretend that you’re in love with her, it might be helpful if you actually know something about her.”   
“Well, that sounds like fun,” Draco says sarcastically.  
“It’s up to you mate, I’m just saying-”   
“Yes, fine. I’ll go talk to her.”


	3. ~ 3 ~

It’s been three days since Malfoy and I agreed to play pretend and I haven’t heard from him ever since. Apart from him looking at me from time to time during breakfast, lunch or dinner he has shown no initiative whatsoever to actually go through with this. Because he told me he would take care of the entire thing, I haven’t made any attempts to talk to him myself.   
Alicia is constantly talking about the dance and she drives me crazy with it. While she continues her rant I watch Malfoy as he is talking to Blaise. When he notices I’m staring at him I glance down at my bowl of cereal.   
“Don’t you think it’s weird?”   
“Well, yes, a little.”   
“See? I knew it!”   
“Huh? What are you talking about?” I ask Alicia as we are clearly not talking about the same thing.  
“The fact that Liam has asked Sheila Brooks to the dance of course! I was absolutely convinced that he was going to ask you, to be honest. Aren’t you surprised?”   
“Well, no, why should I?” I answer as I start to eat my breakfast. “I told you we are nothing more than friends.”   
“Do you honestly expect me to believe that you have no idea about Liam’s feelings for you?”   
“Alicia, will you please drop it? He is not in love with me. I have different things on my mind, okay?”   
“Okay, fine.” She sighs. “I have to go anyway.”   
“Why? It’s at least thirty minutes before class starts.”   
“I know, but McGonagall wants the committee to meet up with professor Flitwick to discuss decorations. I’ll see you later!”   
I roll my eyes. If I have to listen to one more comment about this stupid dance I’ll eat myself through an entire Skiving Snackbox just to avoid going.   
I finish my cereal while reading a copy of the Daily Prophet that someone left lying at the table and when it’s time to go to class I gather my things. Just as I’m ready to leave I see Draco walking towards me.   
“Follow me, Johnson,” he says when he’s close enough for me to hear him.  
Without saying a word I follow him outside the Great Hall, into a small corridor.  
“I was starting to think you forgot about our little agreement,” I say.  
“I think it will be wise to, let’s say, spend some time together,” he says, completely ignoring what I just said.   
“Do you now?”   
“I did some thinking and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’ll be much easier seeing you as my fake girlfriend if I actually get to know you a little bit.”   
“You don’t say.”   
“Easy on the attitude, Johnson. Meet me in the library tonight at eight.”   
Without awaiting my answer he walks away, leaving me utterly surprised.   
“Whatever,” I mumble. I throw my bag over my shoulder and make a second attempt to leave for class, but apparently there’s someone else who wants to talk to me as I stare right in the face of Pansy Parkinson.   
“What do you want from Draco?” she asks me, her voice trembling with anger.  
“Oh Pansy, that’s none of your damn business. Now get out of my way.”   
Instead of listening to me she blocks me and brings her face dangerously close to mine. I’m painfully aware of the fact that she and I are the only ones in this corridor.  
“I asked you what you want from Draco,” she says with gritted teeth.   
“And I said it’s none of your damn business. Now move or I’ll make you.”   
“If you touch Draco, I swear I’ll-”   
“You swear what? That you’re gonna cry like the little bitch you are?” I say with a scoffed look. “You’re pathetic, Pansy. Get a life.”   
That was a step too far. Before I know it I’m on the floor. My eye is throbbing in the place where Pansy’s fist landed.   
“I’m warning you, Johnson. If you lay as much as a finger on him, I’m coming for you. That’s a promise.”   
She spits on the floor right in front of me. Then she turns around and walks away.  
I try to stand up but my head really hurts and I’m feeling quite dizzy.  
“Emily, are you okay?” I hear someone ask and as I look up I see Liam’s face.  
“Oh hey, Liam. Yes, I’m fine. I think, at least. Why aren’t you in class?”   
“Would you believe me if I say I overslept?”   
I look at him with an amused look on my face.  
“Having a fun time with Sheila, huh?”   
“Oh, you heard about that?” Liam says. He looks quite uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Well, that’s nothing.”   
“Not nothing as I heard it,” I say with a grin. “Alicia tells me you’re taking her to the dance.”   
“I … well ...I ….”   
I see his cheeks turning red.   
“Relax Liam. Would you care to help me up?”   
“Of course. Take my hand.”   
As Liam picks me up off the floor I feel the throbbing sensation above my eye getting worse.  
“I think it’s best if you go see madame Pomfrey,” Liam says and even though I don’t really want to, I’m starting to think he might be right.  
“Do you want me to walk with you?”   
“No I’m fine,” I say as I try to stand on my own, but I almost immediately collapse and if it wasn’t for Liam holding me up on my feet, I’d probably be back on the floor already.  
“Okay, no arguing, I’m coming with you.”  
He puts my arm around his shoulder and places his arm around my waist.   
“Let’s go,” he says. “Care to tell me why you look like this?”   
“I had a fight with Pansy,” I say, while I’m trying to ignore the dizzy spells that are getting worse by the minute.  
“Why?”   
“What do you mean ‘why’? We always fight.”   
I can’t tell him the truth, obviously. I have no idea how and when Malfoy wants to tell the world that we’re fake dating.   
“I guess that’s true. Pansy is just …”  
“A bitch,” I finish Liam’s sentence.   
After a couple of minutes we reach the Hospital Wing.   
“What happened to you?” madam Pomfrey asks as she rushes over to me.  
“She got into a fight apparently,” Liam says.   
I nod my head to confirm but the pain is insane.  
“Sit down dear and let me have a look,” madame Pomfrey says as she gently pushes me down onto a bed.  
“Ah yes, I see,” she says as she quickly examines me. “You took a nasty blow to the head. I’ll give you a potion to deal with the dizzy spells and the pain, but I’m afraid this will turn into a nasty bruise. I can give you something for that as well, but it’ll stay visible for at least 24 hours. I’m sorry, dear.”   
“That’s okay, madam Pomfrey,” I say. “Thank you anyway.”   
She pats me on the shoulder, leaves for a little while and then returns with two potions. I swallow them quickly and make a face as they keep burning in my throat. It’s effective though, as I feel the dizziness fade away almost immediately.  
“How’s that?” she asks me.  
“Much better, thank you,” I say as I smile. “Ready to attend class.”   
“I advise you to take it easy today. Don’t get all worked up, it might cause the dizzy spells to return.”   
“I’ll try,” I say.  
“Fine,” she replies and after a final look at my head she says I’m good to go.  
“Come on,” Liam says. “I’ll walk you to class.” 

A little before eight I make my way to the library for my meeting with Malfoy. When I arrive after a five minute walk I see that he’s already present. I walk over to his table and take a seat across from him.   
“What happened to you?” he asks as he sees my bruised eye.  
“Your girlfriend,” I answer with a bitter tone in my voice.  
“Ex-girlfriend,” he corrects me.  
“Fine, whatever. So why am I here?”   
“I already told you,” Malfoy says.”We need to get to know each other.”  
He looks bored.  
“Listen, either we’re doing this or not. There’s no in between. If you can’t even make yourself to ask me some questions then I don’t really get the point of being here. You asked me for help, not the other way around. Make up your mind, Malfoy.”   
We stare at each other in silence for a moment or two.  
“Fine,” I say. “Have it your way then.”   
I stand up and start heading for the door.  
“Johnson.”   
I stay in place for a moment.  
“What?”   
“Sit down.”   
For a brief moment I consider ignoring him, but something inside me makes me walk back.  
I take my seat again and look at him. He stares back at me. I don’t care if this takes all night, I refuse to talk first.  
“You’re right,” he says eventually. I can see how much effort it costs him to say those words out loud. “We got off on the wrong foot.”   
I’m still staring at him in silence.  
“First, tell me how you got that,” he says, pointing at the bruise above my eye.  
“I already told you,” I say, annoyed. “Pansy warned me that I should stay away from you. She asked me what I wanted from you and I told her to stay out of my business. She still cares for you a lot, I suppose.”   
“I guess we could say it’s working before we even got started,” he says.  
“Sure, let me be your guinea pig,” I reply with a sour tone in my voice. “What happens next time she decides to kick my ass?”   
“She won’t.”   
“How can you be so sure?”   
“She won’t, trust me.”   
I look at Malfoy in anger but decide to keep my mouth shut.  
“What do you fear most?” he asks out of nowhere.  
“Excuse me?”   
“Well, the point of tonight is getting to know each other better, isn’t it?” he says, clearly irritated. “Just answer the damn question.”   
“You answer the question,” I fire back.  
“I fear nothing,” he says.  
“Liar.”   
“What makes you say that?”   
“Everyone’s afraid of something, even you.”   
“Right, because you know me so well,” he scoffs.   
“Fine, but if you aren’t answering the question, why should I?”   
He sighs loudly.  
“Are you always like this?”   
“Why? Are you regretting asking me for help?”   
“Well, if you continue this ridiculous behaviour, I might reconsider.”   
“Fine by me, being around you isn’t exactly something I enjoy,” I say while throwing him a dirty look.  
“So leave,” he says. “Let Pansy get away with the fact that she totally kicked your ass today. Go on then. Don’t stay on my account.”   
I stare at him furiously but I’m not moving a muscle.  
“Just as I thought. Now are you willing to answer my questions?”   
“Are you willing to answer mine?”  
“Fine.”   
“Ask away then,” I say, feeling victorious because I feel like I’ve just won this argument.  
“No. I think I’ll let you start,” he says.   
I roll my eyes.  
“Okay, let’s see … Why are you willing to go through so much trouble to get back at your ex? Are you still in love with her or something?”   
“Sure, let’s start with a simple question,” he says sarcastically. “People don’t get away with betraying me, that’s it. I’m not in love with her anymore. Hell, I don’t even know if I ever was. The fact is that she went behind my back and I don’t like backstabbers. She needs to be learned a lesson. That is all. So what about you?”   
“What about me?”   
“Why do you hate her so much?”   
“Is that a serious question?” I look at him with raised eyebrows. “She’s an arrogant, cold hearted bitch who’s feeling like she’s better than everyone else. She considers herself queen because you chose her to be your girlfriend and apparently she feels like that particular fact gives her the right to be so annoying that even thinking of her gives me a headache.”   
“Right,” Draco says. “No need to sugarcoat it.”   
“Did I need to? You just said you don’t care about her anymore.”   
“You’re being annoying again. Stop it.”   
“Give me one good reason.”   
“Seriously? Are you really gonna be this childish?”   
“Leave it. It’s your turn to ask me a question.”   
He stares at me with an irritated look.  
“What’s most important to you in life?” he asks me eventually.  
“My friends and family,” I answer immediately.   
“Ugh, I didn’t ask you to let your inner Hufflepuff out,” he says while making a face.   
I can’t help but to laugh.   
“I’m glad you found that comment amusing,” he says while raising an eyebrow.  
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Even if you don’t like my answer, it’s still true.”   
“Of course it is,” he sighs.   
“So what about you? What do you value most in life?”   
“My blood status.”   
“Ha ha, very funny..” I say.  
“Do you see me laughing?” he replies.  
I look at him for a moment.   
“Are you actually being serious?”   
“No, I’m just making fun of you. I have this incredible sense of humor you knew nothing about,” he says with a sarcastic tone in his voice. “Of course I’m serious.”   
“Okay, so we’ve established you’re still an asshole,” I say harshly.   
“Ouch,” he replies with a straight face. “Next question.”   
“Why were you doubtful about your feelings for Pansy?”   
Draco takes a moment to think about that question.  
“Because it feels like she was a simple choice. More convenient than right, I suppose. I’m not sure if I can say I truly loved her. She was just easy, I guess.”   
“That makes sense,” I say.  
“What does?”  
“The part about not really loving her.”   
“Why is that?”  
“Because you would need a heart to actually be able to love someone,” I say, hardly doing my best to cover up my grin and to my surprise I see an amused look on his face as well.  
“Wow Johnson, watch it. You were almost funny there for a moment.”   
“Be aware Malfoy, it might happen more often.”   
“Nah, I seriously doubt it. Next question. How do you really feel about doing this?”   
“Asking me about my feelings, Malfoy?” I say with a smile on my face. “Now who’s releasing their inner Hufflepuff?”   
“Just answer the question, Johnson.”   
Now it’s my turn to think of the right answer.  
“I’m not exactly sure,” I say after a while. “I think I’m mostly confused. What if she’s not buying it? Or if she decides she wants my head on a stick?”  
“I’m not worried about that at all,” Draco says.  
“Why not?”   
“Because I know what I’m doing.”   
“Awesome,” I say, a little bitter. “Would you care to enlighten me?”   
“There’s a time for everything, Johnson.”   
“Must be nice to be so confident.”   
“It is.”   
“I can’t believe how arrogant you are sometimes, Malfoy.”   
“Well, as it turns out you can be equally annoying, Johnson.”   
I can’t help but to laugh again.   
“It’s getting late,” I say. “I should be heading back.”  
I stand up after I glance at Malfoy one last time and walk towards the door for the second time this evening.  
“We should do this again sometime soon, Johnson. Good night.”   
I can’t help but to smile while I close the door.


	4. ~ 4 ~

It’s been nearly two days since Pansy punched me in the face and I’ve noticed that she’s following me around the castle whenever she has the time, probably making sure I’m not talking to Malfoy. It’s pathetic, really.   
Alicia and I have decided to grab some sandwiches from the Great Hall and take our lunch outside as the weather’s beautiful. It’s not cold at all considering it’s late January and the sun is shining. We pick a nice spot close to the lake as the view is truly astonishing.  
“Doesn’t she have classes to attend?” Alicia asks me as she watches Pansy, who is sitting down within ten feet of where we are, trying really hard to convince us that she’s only here to read a book.  
“I have no idea,” I say. “Apparently she really doesn’t have a life.”   
Alicia and I decide to compare our notes for professor Slughorn and try to have a conversation while we ignore Pansy the best we can.  
“I have to leave soon,” Alicia says after a while. “I need to do something for the-”  
“Dance, wow I’m so surprised,” I say as I give her a tired look.  
She rolls her eyes, then she smiles. “Just give it a few more weeks and then I’ll be out of your hair. It’ll be over before you know it! I’ll see you later.”   
I wave at her, watch her walk away and then turn back to my notes.  
After a couple of minutes I hear someone calling me name.  
“Hey Johnson.”   
I look up.   
“Malfoy,” I say. “Sit down if you will.”  
“No, I’m good, I don’t have much time.”  
He glances at my notes, then looks directly at Pansy.  
“Have you noticed that she is following me around the entire castle?” I ask quietly.  
“Can’t say that I have,” he replies. “Anyway, I’m here to take the next step in our plan. Ready?”  
I raise my eyebrows, wondering what he’s aiming at.  
“I know that there’s a dance coming up and I was wondering if you would like to be my date.” He says in a slightly raised voice to make sure that Pansy hears him.  
I try to stifle a smirk.  
“Of course!” I say, really putting effort into my reaction, hoping that it shows enough enthusiasm.  
“Good, that’s settled then. Oh, by the way, I was wondering if we’re still on for tonight.”  
This time he genuinely surprises me. I try to keep a straight face as I reply.  
“Of course we are.”   
“Good, I’ll see you then,” he says and with a little wave of his hand he heads back to the castle.   
When I look for Pansy moments later, just to see if this little show had the desired effect, I’m guessing we actually did hit home, as she is nowhere to be seen.   
I can’t help but to smile as I gather my things and leave to meet Alicia for Potions class.

There’s no way this actually happened. Did Draco, her Draco just ask Emily Johnson to the dance? Pansy locked herself up in the Slytherin dorms as she really needs to think about all that happened. She takes a deep breath as she tries to analyse her thoughts.. It’s not that she still loves Draco or cares for him in any other way. That ship has sailed. But she’ll be damned before she willingly hands Draco over to that bitch of a Ravenclaw.   
She hates to admit it, but yes, it hurts to see that Draco replaced her so quickly, as if their relationship never meant anything.   
More than anything she loathes the idea of Draco being with someone else.  
It’s only more humiliating that he decided to take her.  
“Emily Johnson messed with the wrong girl,” Pansy quietly says to herself. “And she’s going to regret it.” 

“Today we’re going to brew a potion called Draught of Living Death,” professor Slughorn says.  
“The Draught of Living Death is an extremely powerful sleeping draught, sending the drinker into a deathlike slumber. I do not expect any of you to brew it perfectly, as it is very complex. Your time starts now.”   
“I should let you know that people are talking,” Alicia says when I return with the needed ingredients. She looks at me with an amused look.  
“They do?”   
“Oh yes. Malfoy asking you to the dance is the talk of the school.”   
“Any word on Pansy’s reaction?”   
“Well, I overheard Millicent Bulstrode saying that she has locked herself in the Slytherin common room and refuses to come out.”   
“I’m sure it’s just an act,” I say with a hard tone in my voice. “There’s no way that she cares for Malfoy that much. She’s probably trying to get him to pity her so that he’ll stop talking to me.”   
“Most definitely,” Alicia says. “I’ve heard other people say that she asked Daphne Greengrass to join her dress shopping this saturday because Goyle asked her to the dance.”   
“I’m not even surprised,” I say, while I throw Valerian root in my cauldron and watch my potion turn into the required pale lilac color.  
“How did you do that?” Alicia asks. The substance in her cauldron is bubblegum pink. “This isn’t supposed to happen, right?”  
“Let me check my notes real quick,” I say and as I open my bag and grab the book I stashed them in, a little note falls on my lap.

Same place, same time.

 

“What’s that?” Alicia asks.  
It can only be one thing. A note from Malfoy.  
“I’ll tell you later,” I say as I put the piece of paper back between the pages of the book. “Let’s try to save your potion first. Have you switched the asphodel and the infusion of Wormwood by any chance?”   
“Oh no!” Alicia says as she looks at me in panic. “I think I did!”   
Slughorn walks up to her and throws a pitied look into her cauldron.  
“You did your best,” he says as he pats Alicia on the shoulder.  
I wait until he addresses my potion, which isn’t exactly clear like water like it’s supposed to be but has gotten a deep grey color.  
“That’s more than I expected,” he says while he smiles.   
“I can’t wait till this class is over,” I hear Alicia say as she waves her wand to clean up her failed potion. “What were you saying about a note from Malfoy?”   
Right. The note.  
I tell Alicia about his mysterious comment this afternoon.   
“What does he mean by ‘same place, same time’?” Alicia asks.   
I look at her with an amused look on my face.  
“He wants to meet me in the library tonight.” 

When we leave the classroom after we’re dismissed, Liam walks up to us.  
“Hey, mind if I walk you to your next class?”   
“No, not at all,” I reply.  
“I’ll see you two there,” Alicia says tactfully. She winks at me and vanishes into the crowd.  
We start heading towards professor McGonagall’s classroom.  
“I’ve been wanting to ask you something,” Liam says and for a moment I’m feeling very anxious.  
“What’s that?” I ask.  
“Is it true that Malfoy is taking you to the dance?”   
“Yes, it is.”   
Liam stands still for a moment as he takes my arm.  
“But why, Emily? Why would you go with him?”   
“You wouldn’t understand.”   
“Can’t you try to explain?”   
“It’s not your place to ask me such things, Liam,” I say while I’m trying to be as friendly as I possibly can.  
“I guess you’re right,” he says, his look hardened. “I just wondered, is all. I have to go, I think I left something in Slughorn’s classroom.”   
Then he walks away, leaving me feeling dejected.

“So, you found my note.”   
“Apparently.”   
It’s a little over eight when I join Malfoy in the library. Just like last time, he was already here when I arrived.  
“Clever move, I have to say.”   
“Nice acting on your part.”   
“Thank you,” I say while taking a bow. “According to the way she acted afterwards I’d say we did one hell of a job.”   
“You don’t know Pansy like I know her,” Malfoy says. “She can be a true drama queen. I’m not buying her little act for one second.”  
“You shouldn’t,” I say. Then I tell him what Alicia told me this afternoon.  
“Well, there you go,” he says. I’m having trouble finding out what he really thinks.  
We sit in silence for a while.   
“How did you two end up together anyway?” I ask.  
“Do you really want me to answer that, Johnson?”   
“Yes, I do actually.”   
“Fine.” He sighs. “It was at the end of our fourth year I believe. She used to stare at me for hours. At first I thought it was irritating, but I don’t know… Something changed, I guess. People were telling me I needed to give it a chance so I did. I talked to her a few times and then there was this one evening when she just kissed me. I guess we were involved since that day.”   
“How romantic,” I scoff, followed by a grin.  
“Since you think so highly of romanticism, why don’t you share a story?”   
“I can’t.”   
“Oh come on, don’t be such a prude.”   
“I’m not being a prude, Malfoy. I can’t because I’ve never been involved with anyone.”   
He stares at me for a while.  
“Very funny, Johnson.”   
“I’m not joking.”   
“Are you expecting me to believe that you’ve never had a boyfriend?”   
“Why do you find that so hard to believe?” I ask while raising an eyebrow.  
“You’re nearly seventeen.”   
“So?”  
“Have you ever been kissed?”   
I feel the blood rising to my cheeks.  
“I’m not sure why I should tell you.”   
“I guess I’ll take that as a no,” he says.   
“Fine, have it your way then,” I fire at him all of a sudden. “No, I’ve never been kissed. So what?”   
“How can you be a successful fake girlfriend if you’ve never been a real one?” he scoffs.   
“I was wondering when the asshole in you would reappear” I say, my voice trembling. “I think we should call it a night.”   
“Oh come on, don’t be such a baby,” Draco says.   
“Just because I’ve never had a boyfriend doesn’t mean I don’t know how the world works. I said I would help you and that’s what I intended to do. But since my lack of experience is too much for you to overcome, I think you should find someone else to accompany you to the dance.”   
After those last words I storm out of the library.

 

“Hey Emily, how are you feeling?”   
Alicia walks up to me. It’s a saturday morning which means no classes and I’m trying to read a book to distract me from my situation yesterday with Malfoy.  
“I’m fine,” I growl.  
“Are you sure about that? Because you haven't said more than ten words since you came back yesterday.”   
“I just made a mistake getting myself involved with Malfoy,” I say bitterly. “He’s an even bigger asshole than I thought.”   
“Do you want to talk about it?”   
“Most certainly not.”  
“Fine, but you can’t stay here either.”  
“And why is that?”   
“Because there’s a Quidditch match today and I think it would be good for us to go.”   
“I don’t feel like it,” I say while I pout.  
“Too bad,” Alicia says as she pulls me up from my chair. “Come on, get dressed.”  
“Fine,” I sigh. I walk up the stairs to the dorms, put on jeans and a shirt and meet Alicia back downstairs, where she is impatiently waiting for my return.  
“Ready? Good. Let’s go.” 

“Sounds to me like you messed up mate,” Blaise says. Him and Draco are sitting in the Slytherin common room discussing what happened last night.  
“I think she overreacted,” Draco says grumbling.  
“I think she was right,” Blaise contradicts.  
“She walked out on me!”   
“She was hurt.”  
“She also knows how I am.”  
“That’s no excuse.”   
Draco throws him a dirty look. “Since when are you defending a Ravenclaw?”  
“Since I need to,” he says. “You should go talk to her.”   
“I don’t even know where to find her,” Draco says reluctantly.  
“I’m sure you will be able to locate her if you put some effort into it,” Blaise says strictly.   
After a few moments Draco stands up to leave the common room.  
“Are you telling me I actually got through to you?” Blaise says, hardly able to hide his surprised look.  
“You just might,” Draco says, shortly before he walks out.  
Where could she be? He decides that it will probably be best to start at the Ravenclaw tower, but just as he’s on his way he spots her at the end of a long corridor, accompanied by Alicia and some boy he has never seen in her presence before. He takes a deep breath, then catches up to her.

 

We have only just left when I hear footsteps behind us.  
“Hey ladies, care if I join you?”   
“Oh hey, Liam!” Alicia says. “Sure, we’re going to see today’s Quidditch match.”   
“Nice, who’s playing?”   
“Gryffindor against Hufflepuff.”   
I’m feeling a little uncomfortable since this is the first time Liam and I are talking after our little altercation outside of Slughorn’s classroom the other day. Liam, however, acts as if it never happened and I decide to go with it.  
“I hope Gryffindor wins,” I say in a dark voice.  
“Why is that?” Alicia asks.  
“Because I know that Slytherin hates Gryffindor and I would love to see Malfoy’s face when he realizes they’ve won.”   
“Are you now having trouble with Malfoy as well?” Liam asks me in a surprised voice. “I thought he was taking you to the dance?”   
I ignore the look on Liam’s face as he tries to act like he doesn’t care about that at all.  
I’ve only just opened my mouth to suggest we should drop the subject when I hear someone call my name.  
“Johnson. Can we talk?”   
It’s Malfoy.  
I see Alicia looking at me and I can tell she’s trying to consider if she should leave me alone with him.  
“Go on, I’ll be up in a minute,” I say.   
“Alrighty then,” she says, trying to get Liam to leave with her. He is clearly not understanding the situation at all. I wait until I’m sure they can’t hear us anymore, then I turn to Malfoy.   
“Make it quick.”   
He stares at me for a moment, one eyebrow raised.  
“Maybe I was a little too harsh on you last night,” he says.   
“You think so?”   
“Obviously,” he bites back, forgetting about his attempt of making amends for a moment, but he corrects himself just as quickly.  
“What I’m trying to say is-”   
“That you’re sorry?” I ask him, looking him straight in the eye.  
“God no,” he says as if it’s the worst thing he could possibly think of.  
“Maybe I should’ve chosen my words more carefully,” he says with gritted teeth.   
“Wow Malfoy, are you trying to admit that you were actually wrong for once? Does it hurt?”   
“Shut up,” he says, trying to stifle a grin.  
“You shut up,” I reply, but the anger has left my voice since I know it must have taken courage to come up to me and say these things. Especially if it’s Malfoy.  
“Emily, are you coming?” I hear Alicia ask at the end of the corridor.  
“Give me a sec,” I reply. Then I turn back to Malfoy.   
“Are we still going to the dance together?” he asks.  
“Only if you promise me you’re not going to be an asshole,” I say.  
“I’ll try.”  
“It would also help if you asked me nicely,” I say while I smirk.  
“Don’t push your luck, Johnson,” he says with a subtle grin. “Would you like to meet up tonight?”  
“Where do we meet?”   
“In the library, as always,” he says. Then he walks off.  
I collect my thoughts for a moment. Then I run towards Liam and Alicia and the three of us walk to the Quidditch pitch where the match has just started.  
“What did Malfoy want from you?” Liam asks me suspiciously.   
“He wanted to apologize,” I say. I can feel Alicia looking at me.  
“For what?” Liam asks. “Also, Malfoy does apologies? Clearly, I missed a lot…”  
“I’ll fill you in some other time,” I say. We find ourselves some seats and watch the game.  
We spend the entire afternoon cheering on both teams and when Hufflepuff wins the match, I notice that I’m not even mad about it.


	5. ~ 5 ~

“I can’t believe that the dance is taking place tomorrow,” Alicia says. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”   
We’re in the Great Hall, doing our homework as we’re eating lunch.  
“Don’t tell me you actually enjoyed planning this thing,” I say while I snort.  
“As a matter of fact, I did. Speaking of the dance; have you already made up your mind about your dress?”  
I nearly choke on my muffin. “I totally forgot about that!”   
“Luckily I am your best friend,” Alicia says. “It so happens to be that I have a great eye for fashion. I’ll let you borrow one of my dresses as I always have at least five of them stashed away in my closet just in case of an emergency and I have one that will look perfect on you.”   
“You are unbelievable,” I say. “Brilliant, but also unbelievable.”  
“Thank me later,” she says as she gathers her stuff. “We’ll talk soon.”   
As I walk past the Slytherin table moments later on my way to class, I see Pansy and Goyle sitting next to each other holding hands. As soon as Pansy sees me she quickly removes her hand from under Goyle’s and throws me a dirty look.  
I shake my head while I laugh at her. Then I continue my walk out of the Great Hall.

 

“Evening, Johnson.”   
I walk up to Malfoy and take the seat he saved me.  
“How was your day?” I ask, trying to be civil.  
“I thought we were faking a relationship, not a marriage,” he says.   
I roll my eyes. “You’re impossible to be around, you know that?”   
“And then to think I’m your boyfriend,” he says while he grins.  
“Fake boyfriend,” I correct him.  
“So, the dance is tomorrow,” he says. “Are you ready for the big moment?”   
“I believe so, yes,” I reply.  
“It will be the big moment, but not the end.”   
“I’m not sure what you mean,” I say.  
“We will make sure that everyone attending that dance will leave thinking that you and I are a thing,” he says. “But that means that our acting will only become more important after the dance.”   
“Wait a minute,” I say, a little confused. “How long exactly do you want to keep this up?”   
“As long as we need to,” he answers.  
“So what’s the goal then?” I ask.   
“I thought we discussed that already.”   
“Well, yes, but if the goal is to only piss her off, I’d say the dance will suffice.”  
“Don’t you understand?” he says, slightly irritated. “If we tell people that we’re a thing, but we go our separate ways right after the dance, everyone will know that it wasn’t real. Can you imagine the look on Pansy’s face when she finds out that we did this just to annoy her? She will completely turn it around and convince herself that I did it just to win her back. I’d die before I let her think that.”   
“Okay, I get it,” I say.  
“Are you willing to help me for as long as it takes?”   
I think about it for a moment.  
“Yes,” I say. “Yes, I will help you.”   
“Even if it takes … let’s say … six months?”   
“Six months?” I shout out, eyes widened with shock and horror.  
“Should I be offended that the thought of hanging out with me apparently scares you that much?” he tries to hide his grin but fails miserably.  
“I’m sorry Malfoy, but even though your attitude has slightly improved doesn’t mean I’m actually looking forward to seeing you everyday,” I say, followed by a smirk.  
“You can relax, Johnson. I was joking about the six months. You can go to sleep peacefully tonight.”   
“I wasn’t aware that you were actually capable of making jokes.”  
“Apparently I amaze you more often,” he answers. “Maybe you should give me some credit for that.”   
“Maybe in the next life, Malfoy.”   
He grins as I stand up.  
“Leaving so early?” he asks.  
“Early? It’s close to ten,” I reply.   
“Like I said. Early.”   
I throw him a smile, then I start heading to the door.  
“Oh, Johnson?”   
“Yes, Malfoy?”   
“I’ll pick you up at seven.” 

“There you are!” Alicia says, a little out of breath. She finds me sitting hidden away in a shadowed corner of our common room reading a book. “I’ve been looking for you for ages. It’s close to five, we need to get you ready!”   
I follow her up to the dorms and watch her scour through multiple dresses until she finds the one that she intended for me.  
When I take a good look at it, I can barely keep a straight face.  
“Wow Alicia, it’s gorgeous,” I say in total awe.   
“A dark blue strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, form fitting top, wide skirt, silver details and a matching silver waistband to top it off,” Alicia says in one breath as she stares at me with twinkling eyes. “What do you think?”   
“I want to try it on!” I say and for a moment I let her pull me into her bubble of enthusiasm.  
She helps me into it and when I see my own reflection in the mirror moments later I can’t believe it.   
“I’ve never felt so beautiful in my life,” I say quietly as I turn from left to right to look at myself from different angles.  
“I’m glad you like it,” Alicia says while she claps in her hands. “I’m pretty sure it will make the acting part a lot easier on Malfoy when he sees you like this!”   
“What are you wearing?” I ask her.  
“This,” she replies and then she shows me a beautiful long black dress. “I’m keeping it simple. You, however, need to shine tonight!”  
We do each other’s hair and make up and then we’re ready to go. I glance at myself one more time before we go downstairs and I am more than happy with the way I look. Maybe tonight will actually be fun, who knows…  
As we make our way to the Great Hall moments later I recognize a tall figure, casually leaning against the wall.   
“There’s Malfoy. Do we meet in the Great Hall later?” I say to Alicia to make clear to her that I want to do this part alone.  
“Of course,” she says. Then she hugs me briefly. “Good luck tonight!”   
I thank her before I walk up to Malfoy. When he turns around to face me I have to admit, although reluctantly, that he looks good in a suit. By the look on his face he’s just as surprised by the way I look.  
“Johnson…. You look … nice,” he says. I can’t help but to laugh.  
“You don’t look too bad yourself, Malfoy,” I respond, truly amused.  
“Are you ready?” he says as he offers me his arm.  
“Let’s do this,” I say. I take a deep breath, take Malfoy’s arm and follow him to our big showdown.

We walk into the Great Hall and it’s transformed beyond recognition. There are purple, pink and white hearts hanging on the walls, held up by magic as they seem to float and move up and down from time to time. There’s a huge dancefloor where the four dinnertables usually stand and there are little cupids flying around, randomly covering people in red and pink confetti.   
There are tables where you can get a huge variety of sweets, beautifully decorated with garlands and paper hearts. As we walk past it I see at least a hundred different sorts of candy, little heart-shaped cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, glazed cookies, all sorts of never melting ice cream and three enormous chocolate fountains. On the other side is a huge bowl of pink colored punch and a wide variety of other beverages.  
Every inch of the Great Hall is covered in the most beautifully colored roses, leaving a wonderful scent.   
I see a couple of decorated sofas and comfortable looking chairs in the left corner. There are also huge, soft looking cushions for people to sit on.   
“This is amazing,” I say as I look around. “Remind me to compliment Alicia.”  
We walk towards the sofas and I sit down.   
“Do you want something to drink?” Draco asks me.  
“Yes, please.”   
“Wait here,” he says. Then he leaves to the table with the beverages.  
He’s completely out of sight after a few seconds and I look at the crowd to see if I spot any familiar faces.   
I see Liam and Sheila. She is wearing a beautiful long and flowing purple dress and she looks stunning. As Liam looks over to me I wave at him. He waves back. When I scan the room further I see Blaise Zabini, holding the hand of a girl I’ve never seen before. Just like Alicia, she has chosen a black dress, only hers is knee-length.  
I look in the direction that Malfoy just disappeared in and then I see her.  
Pansy is wearing a green dress that seems way too pretty for her and her facial expression doesn’t do its beauty any good. She sees me and walks towards me.  
She looks left and right to make sure Malfoy isn’t coming back just yet. Then she leans into me.   
“You think you’ve won,” she whispers hatefully. “But when I’m through with you, you won’t know what hit you.”   
She throws me a malicious look before she disappears again, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.  
Shortly after I see Malfoy coming back. He’s holding two drinks and I’m actually relieved to see him.   
“Are you okay?” he asks me as he sees my expression.   
“I’m fine.”   
Malfoy shrugs. It doesn’t take long till he sees Pansy, dancing with Goyle. He turns to me and pulls my drink out of my hand, putting both our glasses on a nearby table.  
“Hey! I was going to drink that-”   
“Later. You were going to drink that later. Follow me, Johnson.”   
He takes my hand and drags me onto the dancefloor.   
“I realize I should’ve asked you before,” he whispers softly, “but do you know how to dance?”   
“A little,” I whisper back.  
“I’ll lead,” he says. He puts his arm around my waist. I can smell his cologne as he pulls me close.  
“Put your left hand in mine,” he instructs me. “That’s it. Now the other one on my shoulder. Ready?”   
We start to dance and to my surprise he's actually good at it.   
“I didn’t know you could dance,” I say, a little impressed.  
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Johnson. Keep focused,” he says as he tightens his grip on my waist. I can’t help but to look at Pansy. She’s looking like she’s ready to jump me.   
“Pansy doesn’t look too pleased,” I whisper softly.  
“So it’s working. Good.”   
We dance till the end of the song.   
“Do you wanna go finish that drink now?” Malfoy asks.   
“Yes please,” I say as I smile.   
He accompanies me back to the sofas and hands me my glass. After I’ve taken the first sip, Blaise and his date walk up to us.  
“Hello Emily,” he says. “You look beautiful tonight.”   
“Thank you Blaise,” I say as I take a bow.  
“This is Tracey Davis,” he says as an introduction to his date.   
The girl looks at me suspiciously.  
“Are you a Ravenclaw?” she asks me.  
“As a matter of fact, I am.”   
“Oh … well, that’s … interesting.”   
“Hey … isn’t that Daphne Greengrass over there?” Blaise says, clearly trying to defuse the situation.   
“Yes, it is. I’ll go say hi,” Tracey says as she walks towards a girl wearing a beige dress.   
“How is it going so far?” Blaise asks Draco when his date is no longer within hearing distance.   
“She’s furious, that’s for sure.”  
“Hey, if I can give you a piece of advice … while you're trying to get back at your ex, try to enjoy the evening a little. I know I would if my date looked like Emily does.” Then he pats Draco on his shoulder and leaves to find his date.   
“He’s right, you know? The more fun we have, the more our plan succeeds,” I say. Just as I finish my sentence I see one of the flying Cupids targeting Malfoy, completely covering him in confetti. It’s quickly trying to escape as Draco is trying to chase it away and I am laughing so hard I can barely breathe.  
“That was far from funny, Johnson,” Draco says.  
“That, Malfoy, was hilarious,” I chuckle as I help him remove the confetti from his suit.   
“Of course you would think so,” he says, but the tone in his voice is softer than before.  
“I think I see Alicia over there by the dancefloor,” I say to Malfoy. “I'm gonna go talk to her real quick.”  
Malfoy nods his head to let me know it's okay and then I walk over to her.  
“Alicia, you did an amazing job,” I say when I reach her.  
“Thank you!” she says, “although it wasn’t just me who came up with all of this, of course. I’m glad you’re enjoying it! How’s it going with you and Malfoy?”   
“Would you believe me if I say I’m actually having fun?” I say with an amused look on my face.  
“Now that’s really something,” Alicia says with a chuckle. “Malfoy and fun, together in the same sentence! Never thought I'd live to see the day.”   
“I know, right?” I say and we laugh for a moment.  
“So where’s your date?” I ask Alicia, suddenly remembering that I never asked her who she would go with. I can’t help but to feel a little embarrassed about that, especially since she helped me so well.  
“I got asked by Deacon Inglebee,” she says with rosy cheeks.  
“You mean the same Deacon Inglebee that’s beater for our Quidditch team? Good job!” I say as I smile. “Where is he now?”   
“He went to get us some drinks, I believe,” she says, standing on her toes to see if she can spot him. “Speaking of,” she says in a whispering voice. “There’s a rumor spreading that someone poured an entire bottle of rum into the punch.”  
“Remind me that I’m getting some later,” I say with a grin.  
All of a sudden I see that Alicia’s amused look fades away.  
“What’s going on over there?” she asks me, nodding her head in a specific direction.  
As I turn around I see Malfoy talking to Pansy. For a moment I feel a weird nervous tickle in my stomach. I try to ignore it as I decide I’ll stay here to see how this one plays out.

“Pansy, what are you doing?” Malfoy asks irritated.  
“Relax, I just wanted to say hi,” she says.  
“Why?”   
“Do you want an honest answer?”   
Draco says nothing.  
“I miss you, Draco. Isn’t that obvious? I made a mistake, why can’t you just forgive me? It should’ve been us going to this dance together. Not me and Goyle. Not you and Emily … What do you see in her anyway?”   
“It might surprise you, Pansy, but she’s actually a lot of fun to be around,” Draco says.   
Pansy throws him a look. “You thought the same of me once.”   
“That was before you decided to screw Goyle,” Malfoy fires at her.   
“You can’t put all the blame on me, Draco. Yes, I have made a mistake, but I felt alone. You weren’t the same person I fell in love with, don’t you understand? I was hurting because you ignored me most of the time and Goyle, well … he was just … there.”   
“Listen Pansy, it doesn’t matter what you say or do, we will never get back together.”   
“But why can’t you give me another chance?” Pansy pouts.  
“Because I simply don’t want to,” Draco answers. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going back to my date.”   
He walks away, leaving Pansy behind.

“Are you okay?” Daphne Greengrass asks as she walks up to Pansy.  
“I think I actually do want Malfoy back,” Pansy says with an evil smile as she watches Draco walk back to Emily.  
“I don’t follow,” Daphne asks with raised eyebrows.  
“Let’s just say I … saw the light,” Pansy replies.  
“But, you’re with Goyle now, right?”   
“That’s correct.”   
“You need to explain,” Daphne says, clearly confused.  
Pansy takes a minute to choose her words carefully.  
“I’m not having the desire to get back with Malfoy. I’m not in love with him anymore or missing him at all. But Johnson doesn’t know that, now does she?”   
“You mean to break them up, just for the sake of breaking them up?”  
“Exactly,” Pansy says with a foul grin.  
“And what makes you think you will succeed?” Daphne asks.  
“I will, trust me. I have a plan. I will lay low for a while, just to make them think I’ve moved on. But when I strike, I strike good. Just sit back and enjoy the show...”   
“Remind me to never get on your bad side,” Daphne says.   
Pansy grins at her.  
“Come on, let’s go for a dance.”   
Neither of them spot Liam as they walk away. The look on his face gives away that he just witnessed that entire conversation.


	6. ~ 6 ~

Draco walks towards me and Alicia, his look troubled.   
“I’m going to get some air. Would you care to join me?” he asks.  
I look at Alica real quick.  
“Go,” she whispers.   
Draco takes my hand and together we walk out of the castle.  
As soon as we step outside, a cool breeze touches my face and it feels really nice. Without really understanding why, I notice that I’m still feeling that nervous tickle that got to me just now when I saw Draco together with Pansy.  
He lets go of my hand and starts pacing.  
“What was that all about?” I say. I wonder if it’s even my place to ask.  
“She is planning on something and I don’t know what it is,” he says. He sounds frustrated.  
“What do you mean?”   
“She came up to me to say hi. Then she asked me if I was willing to give her a second chance.”   
I feel the nervous tickle increasing by every word he says.  
“What did you say to her?” I ask.  
“I said that I will never take her back.”   
My stomach is calming down a little.   
I watch him pace for a little while longer but all of a sudden I make up my mind.   
“You know what? To hell with Pansy,” I say.   
“Excuse me?” Malfoy looks at me with a raised eyebrow.   
“You heard me. I think we should forget about her for now. Who cares if she's planning something? If she is, we won't be able to stop her anyway. Let's take Blaise's advice and enjoy tonight. Let's have some fun. What do you say?”   
He takes a moment to consider.   
“Fine,” he says, “but we'll need to-”  
“Stay in character,” I finish his sentence. “I know.”  
“I'm impressed Johnson,” Malfoy says with a slight grin on his face. “You actually said something useful.”  
“Stop it, you're making me blush.” I sigh with a bored face.  
He actually smiles as he offers me his arm for the second time tonight.   
“Ready to have some fun?”  
“As ready as I'll ever be.”   
As we walk back in I see Alicia on the dancefloor in the arms of Deacon Inglebee.   
Her lips are forming the words “Are you okay?”. I quickly nod and give her a thumbs up.   
She smiles at me reassuringly, then she turns her attention back to her date.  
“I’ll get us some of that rum infused punch,” I joke to Malfoy.  
“What?”  
“Nothing, I’ll be right back,” I say as I grin.  
I step away from him to get our drinks and just as I return, the music changes from a catchy tune into something that would be perfect for a slow dance.  
There are several couples who are walking onto the dancefloor, locking each other in warm embraces, staring at each other with love drenched looks.  
“I always hate this part of dances,” Draco says irritated. He takes a sip of his punch as he watches the couples floating over the dancefloor.   
“Well, that’s too bad,” I say with a smile on my face.   
“Stop looking at me like that,” he says with gritted teeth.  
“Like what?” I say, my smile broadened.   
“I’m not gonna ask you to dance, Johnson.”   
“Why not?” I say, clearly teasing him. “You said we should stay in character.”   
He sighs loudly, but I can see he’s faking it.  
“You’re a pain in the ass sometimes. Fine, I’ll dance with you, but let me finish my drink first.”  
He gulps it up all at once and finishes mine right after.  
“Let’s go,” he says.  
I can’t help but to laugh as I follow him to the dancefloor. He puts his arm around my waist and pulls me close, just like he did earlier tonight, only now we’re slowly dancing in a much more romantic setting.  
I can’t help but to notice that it makes me feel slightly nervous, even though I’m not sure why.  
“I was just wondering,” I say as we’re slowly swaying back and forth, “how do we continue us after the dance?”   
“Well, we basically claimed the library, so I think we could just continue to meet up there,” Malfoy says.  
“So you’re not even gonna take your fake girlfriend on a fake first date? That kind of makes you a shitty fake boyfriend, Malfoy,” I say amused.  
“Is that a dare, Johnson?”   
“Only if you want it to be.”   
We dance until the end of the song.  
As soon as we leave the dancefloor, Alicia walks up to me.  
“I wanted to let you know that we’re leaving,” she says.   
“What, so soon?” I say surprised. “It’s just past ten!”   
“I, well …” she says awkwardly. Then she points at Deacon. “We’re going for a walk.”   
She smiles at me nervously.  
“I understand,” I say, answering her smile. “I’m happy for you. Have fun!”   
“Thank you! Do we share our stories tomorrow morning over breakfast?”   
“You bet.”   
I watch her leave with Deacon. As I turn back to Malfoy I notice that he’s staring at something and as I follow his gaze I see Pansy and Goyle wrapped up in a dance. They look like they’re very much in love.  
“Hey, stop it,” I say strictly as I gently push against his shoulder. “We agreed on ignoring them tonight.”   
“You’re right,” he says and without as much as a warning he pulls me in and kisses me.  
He completely catches me off guard and I’m not sure if I should even be mad about it. I have no other choice but to go with the flow, especially since I know that Pansy is able to see us.  
However, he seems to be very gentle about it and I can’t help but to notice how soft his lips feel against mine. I wonder if he remembers the time I told him that I’ve never been kissed.  
My thoughts are like whirlwinds in my head as I try to figure out how to react to the fact that I’m getting kissed by Malfoy.  
We stay like this for a while and when he lets go of me a little while later he grins.  
“Don’t look so scared, Johnson. I thought staying in character was so important to you?”   
I need a moment to collect myself.  
“Just give me a heads up next time, will you?”   
“What, no witty comeback this time?”   
“Shut up, Malfoy.”   
“I’ll get you something to drink,” he says amused. “You look thirsty.”   
I throw him a dirty look. As he leaves, I look for a sofa that’s not already occupied by kissing couples but apparently I’m out of luck as all of them seem to be taken. Way in the back of a corner I find one last pink poofy cushion that should be big enough for me and Malfoy to share and I let myself fall onto it.  
When Malfoy returns with two filled glasses in his hand, he throws me a scoffed look.  
“What’s this?”   
“Everywhere else is full,” I say.   
“It’s pink.”   
“It’s also comfortable.”   
“I think I’ll rather stand.”   
“You’re such a child sometimes,” I say irritated. “Will you just sit down?”   
He throws me a look but decides to come sit beside me anyway and hands me my glass.  
“There. That’s better, isn’t it?”   
“Much,” he says sarcastically.  
I shake my head as I smirk.   
“Always a little ray of sunshine. Aren’t you, Malfoy?”   
“Look who regained her smart mouth,” he scoffs. “Maybe I should kiss you again, as it proved itself the perfect way to shut you up for once.”   
“That’s low Malfoy, even for you,” I say while I take a sip. “You probably forgot, but it was my-”   
“First kiss ever,” he finishes my sentence. “I didn’t forget, Johnson.”   
I feel the blood rush to my cheeks.   
We sit in silence for a while as we finish our drinks. If Malfoy noticed my rosy cheeks he’s being a gentleman about it as he’s not mentioning it at all.  
“Did you have fun tonight?” I ask him.  
“I’ve had worse nights,” he says while he shrugs.  
“That’s you saying you had a blast,” I say amused, ignoring him as he rolls his eyes. “Good, I’m glad.”   
We watch the dancefloor getting emptier by the minute as more and more students are calling it a night.   
“I should head back as well,” I say as I notice it’s a little over eleven. “They will probably kick us out soon anyway.”   
Draco puts our empty glasses away, gets up in one swift move and pulls me up by my hand.  
“I’ll walk you to the Ravenclaw tower,” he says.  
“You really don’t need to-” I start, but Malfoy interrupts me.  
“Don’t be ridiculous, Johnson. I’ll walk you to it, end of discussion.”   
“Who would’ve thought you’re such a gentleman?” I say, a little impressed.  
“Always so surprised,” he says with a tired look. I grin as we leave the Great Hall. As we arrive at the fifth floor a couple of minutes later, an awkward silence hangs between us.   
“So, here we are,” I say, a little uncomfortable. “I guess I’m off to bed.”   
“I’m heading back as well,” Draco says. “We’ll talk soon.”   
“That’s fine,” I say. “Good night then.”   
“Good night.”  
Just before I step inside, Malfoy calls my name.  
“Oh, Johnson?”   
“Yes, Malfoy?”   
“I actually did have fun tonight.”   
Then he turns around and walks away.


	7. ~ 7 ~

The next morning is a slow one. A lot of students decided to sleep in and the few people that decided to get some breakfast anyway are yawning loudly every now and then.   
I scan the Ravenclaw table and see Alicia chewing on an English muffin.  
“Good morning,” I say when I sit down next to her.  
“Hello,” she answers. She looks tired but satisfied.  
“So, how was your walk with Deacon?” I ask.  
“It was awesome,” she giggles. “I didn’t get back to our dorm until around one.”   
“Wow, you must’ve really enjoyed yourself then,” I say with a grin. “Is he any good?”   
“At what?”   
“Kissing, of course!”   
She starts blushing right away.   
“Let’s talk you and Malfoy first. How did your night end?”   
“Well,” I say while I grab some bacon and eggs and put them on my plate, “let’s just say that you weren’t the only one who got kissed last night.”   
Alicia coughs loudly as she nearly chokes on her muffin.   
“No way! Malfoy kissed you? Tell me everything!”   
I swallow a piece of bacon, then I start telling her about how we decided to not let Pansy and Goyle spoil the entire evening. How we agreed that we would try to have some fun and about how Malfoy clearly made up his mind about something as he watched them dance.  
“And that’s when he leaned in and kissed me,” I finish my story.  
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Alicia says quietly. “How was it?”   
Even though I expected this question, it still takes me some time to answer it.  
“Softer than I imagined it would be,” I say after a while.   
“How do you feel about it?” Alicia asks.   
“About what?”   
“About Malfoy being your first kiss.”   
“I didn’t give it much thought actually,” I answer as I shrug, but that’s not entirely true. Of course I thought about it. I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about it.  
Thankfully, Alicia lets it go.  
“So how are you two continuing this … thing?” she asks.  
“I’m not sure,” I say. “I guess I’ll just let him make the first move.” 

It’s half past eleven when Draco meets Blaise in the common room.   
“There he is,” Blaise says as he closes the book he is reading. “How was it?”   
“Decent, I suppose,” Draco says as he sits down in a comfy looking chair.  
“Oh come on,” Blaise scoffs. “Is that all you have to say?”   
“I kissed her,” Draco says out of nowhere.   
“Well, I expected as much,” Blaise says after a brief silence. “I mean, you were there to get your revenge in the first place. The best way to make that happen would be to kiss Johnson in front of Pansy’s eyes, right?”   
“Right,” Draco answers elusively.  
“Do you think there’s more to it?”   
“I’m not sure what you mean.”  
“Do you think she’s into you?”  
“Of course not, don’t be ridiculous.”  
They both stay silent for a while.  
“Are you into her?” Blaise asks bluntly.  
“Drop it, Zabini,” Draco growls. “I’m not interested in going all Hufflepuff with you and discuss feelings. Now if you don’t mind, I’m gonna get something to eat.”  
“You’re playing a dangerous game, mate,” Blaise says, but Draco is already out the door.  
He finds himself a quiet spot at the Slytherin table, grabs some oatmeal and fails to ignore Blaise’s words resounding in his head.   
“Do you think there’s more to it?”   
Draco takes an absent bite as he thinks about it.   
He kissed Emily because he knew it would turn their plan into a success. But was that really all there was to it?  
Wasn’t there a part of him that actually wanted to kiss her? A part so small, so seemingly insignificant that he almost failed to notice it at all?  
No. He was imagining things. It was a Valentine dance for crying out loud. It was set up to make people feel all fuzzy.  
The fact that he enjoyed the evening with her didn’t mean that he was developing romantic feelings for her in any way, shape or form and that kiss was nothing more than just a kiss.  
As Draco finishes his oatmeal in peace he tries to reason with himself and by the time he walks back to the dungeons he has almost completely convinced himself that it was no more than a brilliant step towards his goal.

“Hey Emily, mind if I join you?”   
I look up and see Liam.   
“Oh, hey Liam! No, not at all, sit down,” I say as I point to the chair across from me. “Did you enjoy yourself at the dance?”   
“Yes, I did,” he says. There’s something off about his look. “How about you?”   
“I had a good time,” I respond.   
“I could tell,” he says. He’s trying to grin but he doesn’t quite pull it off.  
“What do you mean?” I ask a little confused.  
“I saw Malfoy kissing you.”   
“I see,” I say quietly, feeling slightly uncomfortable.  
“Is he your boyfriend now?” Liam asks me.  
“Liam …”   
“Please just answer the question, Emily.”   
As I see the pain in Liam’s eyes, it sickens me that I have to lie to him, but I have no other choice.  
“Yes,” I say quietly. “Yes. Malfoy and I are involved.”   
“But what does he have to offer you?” Liam says.  
“Can’t we just drop the subject?” I ask desperately.   
“I need to know. What do you see in him?”   
“Why are you doing this, Liam?”  
“Do you really not know?”  
I close my eyes. I feared this moment for a long time.  
“Liam, I-”   
“No. Tell me. What does he have to offer you?”   
I stare at him as I feel tears burning in my eyes.  
“You wouldn’t understand,” I whisper softly.  
“You’re right, I don’t understand,” he says with a voice trembling of emotion. “He’s gonna hurt you, Emily. Maybe not right away, but he will, eventually. And when he does it will be too late.”   
Then he gets up and storms outside, leaving me in tears.

Pansy is just on her way to the Great Hall for dinner when she hears someone calling her name.  
“Pansy Parkinson?”   
As she turns around she sees a boy with dark hair walking towards her.   
“Do I know you?” she asks arrogantly.  
“My name is Liam,” he says as he takes another step in her direction.  
“How lovely,” she says while she looks him up and down in disgust. “Now, if you don’t mind-”   
She tries to walk past him but he blocks her.  
“Easy with the attitude, Pansy,” he says quietly. “You may not realize it, but I could make your life a lot more complicated.”   
Pansy laughs viciously. “Oh really? And what makes you think that?”   
“It so happens to be that I overheard your little conversation with Daphne Greengrass, yesterday at the dance,” he whispers so softly that she can barely hear him. “How’s your plan coming along, Pansy? Any luck so far?”   
The grin on her face disappears almost immediately.   
“I suppose it’s gonna cost me dearly to have you keep this to yourself?” she hisses softly.  
“No,” he answers.   
“What do you want then?”   
“I want in.”   
The look on her face is one of confusion.   
“I don’t like to admit it, but I didn’t see that one coming,” Pansy replies. “I thought you were friends with Johnson.”   
“I am,” he replies. “And that’s exactly why I don’t want her to end up with Malfoy. As of right now, I’m offering you my help. Let me know when I’m needed,” he says. He throws Pansy one final look, turns around and walks away, leaving her flabbergasted. 

 

“Johnson.”   
It’s tuesday morning and I’m on my way to class when Draco walks up to me.   
“Malfoy. What’s up?” I say.  
“I would like to meet up tonight.”   
“Sure, when and where?”   
“Library seems fine I suppose,” he says. “See you around eight?”   
“I’ll be there.”   
When I join Alicia in class I can tell by the look on her face that something has happened.  
“What’s wrong?” I whisper.  
“Do you know what happened to Liam?” she whispers back.   
I explain to her what had happened between us in bits and pieces as I try to make sure professor Flitwick doesn’t hear me.   
“But what does that have to do with you?”   
“Nothing. Not directly, at least. But I noticed that he’s been silent and he refused to talk to me. When I asked him directly what happened, he said I should ask you.”   
“That’s a little unfair,” I say as I look at her. “It wasn’t my fault.”   
“Well, to be fair, Emily, I told you Liam had a thing for you a long time ago,” Alicia says. “Maybe you should have taken my advice and talk to him sooner.”   
“How can you put this on me?” I whisper, clearly upset.  
“I’m just saying that you could’ve known that he would react the way he did,” she says while she shrugs. “He refuses to talk to me too because he feels like I’m supporting your ‘relationship’ with Draco, which isn’t even real to begin with. I don’t want your situation with Malfoy to come between my friendship with Liam.”   
“I’m sorry that my situation is so inconvenient for you,” I say with tears in my eyes. “I’ll make sure not to bother you with it again.”   
I raise my hand to catch professor Flitwick’s attention.  
“Yes, miss Johnson?” he says.  
“Can I be dismissed, professor? I’m not feeling too well.”   
“Of course. You can go,” he says.  
“Thank you professor,” I say and without even looking at Alicia anymore, I storm out of the classroom.

 

“What’s wrong?”   
“Nothing.”   
“Don’t lie to me.”   
“I’m not.”   
Malfoy throws me a look.  
“Listen Johnson, this isn’t exactly the first time we’re talking. I can tell something’s wrong. Spit it out.”   
“I don’t even know where to start,” I say. “Apparently Liam is madly in love with me and now he’s hurt because he thinks I’m involved with you. Alicia stands by him and says that it’s my own fault he freaked out because according to her I should’ve been able to see it coming. It’s such a mess.”   
“I’m sorry you have shitty friends,” Malfoy says.  
“Seriously Malfoy, can’t you have an adult conversation for once?”   
“I’m actually being serious here, Johnson. I think it’s ridiculous that they’re putting this all on you.”   
“Alicia thinks I should’ve talked to Liam sooner,” I say.  
“Would that really have made any difference?” he replies. “It sounds to me like this would’ve happened anyway.”  
“Maybe you’re right.”   
“How long have you known?” Malfoy asks.  
“What?”   
“That this Liam guy is having feelings for you.”   
“I guess I’ve known for a while,” I answer. “I just didn’t want to see it because I didn’t want to destroy our friendship.”   
“Why didn’t you give him a chance?”  
“Is that a serious question?”   
“Yes.”   
I take a moment to think of a right answer.  
“Do you remember how you told me that being with Pansy was more out of convenience than out of love?”   
“I remember,” he says.  
“Well, I guess it would’ve been the same for me and Liam if I had given him a chance.”  
We sit in silence for a while.  
“I was wondering something,” I say.  
“What’s that?”   
“Did you ever care for Pansy at all?”   
“Yes,” he says. I ignore the subtle stirring in my stomach.  
“What changed?”   
“We each went our own way I think. I looked at her one day and there was just … nothing there.”   
“But it must’ve hurt when you found out about her and Goyle.”   
“She and I were never really a successful match,” Malfoy replies. “In a way I’ve always expected her to find someone else. So it wasn’t exactly a big shock. More than anything else I felt angry because they betrayed me.”   
“But you’re plotting an entire plan to get her on her knees,” I say. “Why are you putting so much effort in hurting someone you don’t really care about anymore?”   
“You must understand that I still have my pride, Johnson,” he replies, his voice hardened. “I don’t take it lightly when someone tries to screw me over.”   
Another silence.  
“What if she would tell you she regrets it? And I mean truly regret what she’s done to you. Would you reconsider taking her back?”   
“Why would you even ask me that?”   
“You have a history together.”   
“I don’t care about that.”   
“At all?”   
“Not even one bit,” he says. “Can we change the subject, please? I don’t want to talk about Pansy anymore.”   
“Okay, I’m sorry,” I say quietly.   
“Tell me, how come you’ve never had a boyfriend?”   
“I never thought it was that important,” I answer. “I just never looked at a guy like that.”   
“Does that mean that you’ve never been in love?”   
“I guess,” I say as Malfoy frowns. “What about you?”   
“What about me?”   
“Have you ever truly been in love?”   
“Johnson, please.”   
“I answered the question, now it’s your turn, Malfoy,” I say.   
He sighs.  
“Fine. No, I’ve never been that serious with anyone,” he replies  
“But you’ve had girlfriends.”   
“Yes.”   
“Multiple girlfriends”   
“Where are you going with this?” he asks me suspiciously.  
“I guess I’m just wondering what you base your relationships on,” I say.  
“You don’t really want me to answer that question, Johnson,” he replies while looking me straight in the eye.  
“Okay, I believe you,” I say with a subtle grin.   
“Anyway, I just want to say that you shouldn’t feel sad because of your friends,” he says. “They’ll turn back around eventually.”   
“Thank you, Malfoy.”   
“For what?”   
“For making me feel better,” I say. When I look at the time I notice that it’s close to eleven.  
“I guess I should be going back soon,” I say. “I enjoyed our conversation. You surprised me once again.”   
“I’ve told you before, Johnson. Maybe I’m not such an asshole after all,” he says.  
“Keep this up, Malfoy, and I might actually start believing it.”   
He grins.   
“I’m gonna throw in another surprise,” he says.  
“Fine, blow me away.”   
“I thought about your dare. I’m taking you to Hogsmeade this Saturday.”


	8. ~ 8 ~

The rest of the week is dreadful. Alicia and I aren’t on speaking terms and we choose to ignore each other as much as we can. When I come down to eat, she usually gets up and we haven't sat at the same desk during class for three days straight.   
I hate fighting with my best friend, but I don’t feel like I’m the one who should apologize.   
I don’t think I’m to blame for all that’s happened and I think that it’s really unfair to put all of this in my shoes. I decided to help Malfoy with his plan and at this point we’re so invested in this that pulling the plug would ruin everything. But even if quitting was an option, I’m not sure if I would.  
I’ve been noticing lately that I’m actually enjoying Malfoy’s company from time to time and even though I hate to admit it, I think I kind of look forward to our trip to Hogsmeade on Saturday.   
Something has changed inside of me since the Valentine dance even though I can’t quite place it. Malfoy is showing me different sides of himself lately and I’ve come to the realization that being an arrogant prick isn’t all there is to him.   
He can be extremely annoying sometimes, but at the same time he makes me laugh.  
There’s just something about him that makes me want to know more.   
I’m walking through the corridors of Hogwarts, thinking this through while I’m on my way to my next class, when I see Liam.  
I quickly turn around to avoid him seeing me, but it’s already too late.  
“Emily,” he says as he walks up to me. “We need to talk.”   
“Liam, why did you tell Alicia to come talk to me? She blames me for everything,” I say.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he replies with a regretful look on his face.  
“I think it’s best if we all take a break from each other for the time being,” I say with a sad look on my face. Then I turn and walk away.

Considering everything that has happened this week, I’m relieved when it’s finally Saturday morning.  
Malfoy and I meet on the steps of the main entrance around eleven and as I look around I see that it has been snowing.  
“Are you ready?” he says.  
“Absolutely,” I answer as I sigh. “Just get me out of here.”   
He smiles briefly as he offers me his arm.  
“So I guess you and your friends haven’t made up yet?” he asks as we walk towards Hogsmeade, leaving footprints in the fresh snow.  
“Alicia and I are mostly avoiding each other and Liam is just …. being Liam, I suppose.”   
“A shitty friend and a rat, you mean?”   
“Don’t say that, Malfoy.”   
“Well, he is.”   
“Drop the subject, will you?”   
“Fine,” he says as he shrugs.   
“I just don’t really feel like talking about them right now,” I say. “Can we just enjoy today?”   
He nods.  
I take a deep breath and try to forget about everything that went wrong this week. It’s out of my hands anyway so I might as well have fun while I’m here.  
“So, as this is supposed to be a date, I expect no less than a visit to madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.” I say, grinning almost immediately.  
Malfoy raises an eyebrow.  
“I wouldn’t even step foot in that place if my life depended on it,” he huffs, making me burst into laughter.  
“What a shame,” I say, highly amused. “I’m sure that it would be oddly satisfying to see you sipping tea out of a pink teacup while nibbling on one of those heart-shaped cookies.”   
The fact that Malfoy looks at me in utter disgust nearly makes me choke.  
“Enough of that, Johnson,” he says strictly, but I can tell he’s amused. “If anything, I’ve just learned that you’re still able to say things that are completely ridiculous.”  
“Apparently you bring out that side of me, Malfoy.”   
Our time in Hogsmeade is a fun one. We visit Tomes and Scrolls where I buy a couple of books that I’ve been wanting to read for a while, we pay Zonko’s a visit and of course walk past the Shrieking Shack which is always an interesting sight to see.   
We spend nearly two hours out in the cold weather, window shopping, but eventually Malfoy asks me if I want something to drink. I say yes as I notice my hands and feet are almost completely frozen and so we walk over to the Three Broomsticks. After we ordered two warm butterbeers we choose a table near the window.  
We sit across from each other in silence and as I try to warm my hands on my drink, I can’t help but to stare at him from time to time.  
“Penny for your thoughts, Johnson,” Malfoy says with a barely noticeable smile on his face and his head slightly tilted to the right. His grey eyes lock mine in an intense stare. 

Draco keeps his eyes focused on Emily as she seems to be searching for the right words.  
He watches her take another sip of her butterbeer to buy herself some time and notices her rosy cheeks. He tries to figure out if they’re colored because of the cold weather outside or if she’s blushing.  
Either way, it looks cute.   
Cute. He pushes that thought out of his mind almost immediately as it were something forbidden and he should be ashamed of thinking it at all.  
“I’m just having fun today, is all,” she says eventually. Draco can’t help but to grin.  
“What?” she asks.  
“Nothing,” he answers. He drinks his butterbeer but keeps looking in her eyes, which are a nice shade of blue now that he comes to think of it.  
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Blaise Zabini’s voice resounds in Malfoy’s head.  
“It’s a dangerous game you’re playing, mate.” 

From where I’m sitting I can actually see it happen. Malfoy’s grin is fading and it’s fading fast.  
“What’s wrong?” I ask.  
“Nothing,” he answers, his look hardened.  
“Don’t be shy, Malfoy.”   
“Drop it, Johnson.”   
“Why do you always do that?” I say agitated. “Why do you always have to shut me out?”   
“I’m not shutting you out,” he replies.  
Our little stare-down comes to an end as I glance at the table.   
“Hey, Johnson.”   
I look up and his eyes catch mine almost immediately. I feel warm. Must be the butterbeer.  
“I’m not shutting you out,” he repeats, his voice softened.   
“I get it, you’re just not one who enjoys discussing feelings and stuff,” I say with a little smile.   
“Exactly,” he says.   
I finish my drink.  
“We should probably head back soon.”   
I watch Malfoy take his last sip.  
“Fine, let’s go.”   
We pay for our drinks and step out into the cold. I can’t help but to shiver.  
Our walk back to Hogwarts is a silent one as we both stay quiet and the only sound we hear is the snow crunching under our feet.  
We get back to the castle a little while later.  
“Shall I walk you to the Ravenclaw tower?” he asks me.  
“Okay,” I reply.  
He accompanies me to the fifth floor which is completely abandoned apart from us and when we stand in front of the door I decide that I want to end today on a happy note.  
“I want to thank you, Malfoy,” I say.  
“For what?”   
“For making me forget about my awful week.”   
Before I’m able to stop myself I get on my toes and give him a peck on the cheek.  
I throw him a quick smile as I turn to leave, but Malfoy grabs my arm and pulls me close. He gently kisses me for a moment.   
“You’re welcome,” he says quietly as he lets go of me.  
Then he turns around and walks away without saying another word, leaving me with a ton of questions. 

It’s close to ten when Alicia returns to our tower.  
I can tell she’s feeling uncomfortable as she sees me.  
“Hi,” she says.  
“Hey,” I answer.  
“Can we talk?”   
I think about it for a moment but then I nod my head.  
“I didn’t mean to be so hard on you,” she says, “but I hope you can see why I said what I said.”   
“Actually, I don’t,” I say, a little more bitter than I intended.  
“Come on Emily,” she says, trying to reason with me. “We’ve been friends for a long time. How can you just throw all that away for a lie?”   
“Maybe it’s not a lie anymore,” I defend myself.  
“You should listen to yourself,” she replies. “You sound as if you actually have a thing for him.”  
“So what if I do?” I fire back. “What if I actually do like him?”   
“Do you even hear yourself? It’s Malfoy we’re talking about!”  
“Malfoy has been a better friend to me this week than you and Liam,” I throw at her. “Maybe you should think about that before you judge him.”   
Without awaiting her answer I leave my chair and run up to our dorm. I slam the door shut and fall onto my bed breathing heavily.  
It takes a while, but eventually my anger subsides and makes place for a familiar emotion; confusion. I think about what I just said to Alicia when she stated that I might have feelings for Malfoy.  
“So what if I do?”  
I think about how he kissed me this afternoon and how it’s highly unlikely that it was an act as there was no one else around to see.  
As it turns out something did change at the Valentine dance and while I’m lying here in the dark I’m finally able to figure out what it is.  
I close my eyes as I try to process everything that happened today.  
Even if there are some feelings, I will refuse to give into them for as long as I’m able to.  
After I convinced myself that everything will look better in the morning, I finally fall asleep.

“Dude, how are you still up? It’s nearly two in the morning.”   
“I couldn’t sleep,” Draco says as he glances at Blaise. “What are you doing here?”   
“I woke up with a dry throat and wanted to get some water.”   
Without saying anything Draco turns his attention back to the fire that has almost completely burned out. Blaise walks up to him and takes a seat.  
“Is there a reason as to why you can’t sleep?”  
Draco takes a moment before he answers the question.  
“There is, actually.”   
“Do you want to talk about it?”   
“Not really.”   
“I see,” Blaise says. “Of course it’s so much better to just wallow in it by yourself. What a horrendous idea, to actually trust your best friend for once.”   
Draco looks at him with raised eyebrows.  
“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” he says sarcastically.  
“Listen, I’m just saying that it’s okay to talk about certain things. Whatever it is, you know it will not leave this room,” Blaise says.  
“Do you want to hug and tell me how much you love me now or after I’ve shared my deepest feelings with you?” Draco says while making a face.  
Blaise grins as he stands up.  
“Fine, suit yourself. I’m off to bed, I’ll see you in the morning.”   
Just before Blaise disappears, Draco makes up his mind.  
“I’m starting to think that I actually might be into her.”   
He watches his friend walk back to his seat.  
“Into who, Emily?” Blaise asks.  
“No, McGonagall,” Draco scoffs. “Of course I’m talking about Johnson.”   
“What makes you think so?”   
“I kissed her.”   
“At the dance.”   
“Yes, but I kissed her again this afternoon after our trip to Hogsmeade,” Draco says with a troubled look on his face.  
“How did she feel about that? Did she kiss you back?” Blaise asks.  
“Well, yes, but I walked away as soon as I let go of her so I don’t know if she was okay with it.”  
“I’ll be damned,” Blaise says with an amused look on his face. “Are you telling me that you’re actually worried about another person’s feelings for once?”   
“Shut up,” Draco growls as he watches Blaise laugh. “I just like being around her. She can handle me, even if I’m being a complete asshole. I really like that, actually.”   
“Are you in love?” Blaise asks.  
Draco rolls his eyes.  
“Sure, head over heels,” he answers sarcastically. “Shall we go brush each other’s hair now?”   
“Forgive me,” Blaise says. “I almost forgot that you’re not able to have an adult conversation.”   
Draco snorts.  
“You ask me if I’m in love. What kind of question is that?”   
“Why won’t you answer it?”   
“Because it’s ridiculous.”   
“Well, in my defence, this entire situation is,” Blaise says.   
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Draco asks, clearly annoyed.  
“You have a fake girlfriend that you now somehow developed real feelings for,” Blaise says. “Now look me straight in the eye and tell me that you don’t think that’s crazy.”   
“I’m not in love, Blaise.”   
“Not yet, you mean.”   
“Maybe it won’t even come to it.”   
“Or maybe you already are and now you’re just lying to yourself.”   
Draco throws him an angry look.  
“Are you gonna act on it?” Blaise asks.  
“No.”   
“Why not?”   
“Because it will only complicate things.”  
“But what if she’s into you as well?”   
“I doubt it.”   
“And why is that?”   
“Because I’m an arrogant prick. I’m not a good person, nor do I have the desire to change my ways. I’m an arrogant, shallow son of a bitch and I actually enjoy it.” Draco pauses briefly as he stares at the fireplace. “She’s too good for me.”  
“I’m sorry mate, but that’s just bull,” Blaise says after a short silence. “I think you’re just scared of the way you feel because it’s the first time you’re experiencing anything like this and now you’re afraid to speak your mind because you think you could maybe lose her over it.”   
“Dude, that does it,” Draco says while he makes a face. “I’m not your girlfriend, remember?”  
“You know I’m right though.” Blaise says.  
“I know that I’m off to bed,” Draco replies as he stands up from his chair. “I know what I need to do. We’ll talk later. Goodnight.”   
And with those final words he leaves the room.


	9. ~ 9 ~

It's been a few weeks since the dance and Pansy has indeed been keeping low like she said she would. Instead of constantly getting in Emily or Draco’s face, she spends her time specifying her plan. The same plan that Emily’s best friend Liam wants to join in on.  
She can tell that Malfoy really likes Emily by the way he looks at her and it’s making her even more vengeful than before.  
But her time will come. She will make Emily Johnson suffer, that’s for sure.  
And how perfect that Liam is willing to help her.  
It’s so obvious that that idiot has a thing for Johnson as well. Of course he would hate to see her walk off with Malfoy.  
As Pansy watches the blonde Ravenclaw eating lunch she tries to figure out what these boys see in her.  
From what she can see, Emily is no more than an average girl with average looks and an even more so average life.   
Pansy then sees how Liam gets up from his seat and leaves the Great Hall moments later.  
She quickly gathers her things and runs up to him.  
“Meet me in the dungeons at midnight,” she whispers so softly only he can hear her. “And make sure no one sees you leave your common room, especially Johnson.”   
Then she walks away as if this conversation never happened.

It’s a little before midnight when Liam quietly walks off the stairs of his dorm and into the common room. He scans it quickly to make sure he’s alone, but everyone already went to bed.  
With a pounding heart he slips out of the door and tries to stay as quietly as possible as he walks through the castle and to the dungeons.  
When he arrives a little while later, Pansy is already waiting for him.  
He opens his mouth to say something, but Pansy hushes him.  
“Not here, follow me,” she whispers softly as she turns around and walks down a long and dark corridor.   
“There's a secret room we can use a little further down,” she explains.  
When they arrive, she taps the wall with her wand and a doorknob appears almost immediately.  
“Get in,” she says, scanning the corridor for other students, but it’s completely abandoned.  
“Wow Pansy, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re planning the downfall of Hogwarts or something,” Liam says while he snorts. “What’s with all the secrecy?”   
“Take an educated guess,” she hisses. “We only have one shot at this. If we fail, we will never get another opportunity to make this work. We are the only ones knowing about this and it should stay that way.”   
“So what’s this genius plan you came up with?” Liam asks.  
“We are gonna get in Johnson’s head,” she says with an evil grin on her face. “We are gonna make sure that she starts doubting Malfoy.”   
“And how exactly are we going to do that?” Liam asks.  
“By feeding her rumors, suspicions, lies about Malfoy’s whereabouts… with me.”   
“Malfoy doesn’t even wanna look at you,” Liam scoffs. “You will never pull this off.”   
“If you worry about your part, I’ll worry about mine,” Pansy replies.  
“And what’s my part exactly?”   
“Suck up to her, make sure you’ll become her go-to person. Then, when she trusts you enough, you’ll start telling her that you saw Malfoy with me.”   
“We’re not even talking to each other due to a stupid argument we had,” Liam says with a hard tone in his voice.  
“Then I suggest you find her and tell her you’re sorry,” Pansy says as if that’s completely obvious. “You make sure you become her prince Charming. I’ll deal with Draco. That’s it for now. I’ll give you a heads up when it’s time for the next step.”   
Liam nods his head once. Then he turns around and leaves.  
When he’s back in bed twenty minutes later he feels bad about himself. He’s about to completely screw over one of his best friends. But he’ll be damned before he will just sit back and watch Malfoy break her heart.

“Emily.”   
As I turn around I see Liam.  
“What do you want, Liam?” I ask as I turn to face him.  
“I want to apologize,” he says, catching me off guard for a moment. “I’ve been an asshole and I’m sorry. I actually did have feelings for you. That’s why I hated the thought of you with someone else, let alone Draco Malfoy.”   
“He’s not really that bad when you get to know him,” I say.  
“I trust your judgement,” he says. “I thought about it a lot and I don’t want to complicate things for you. I just want to go back to being your friend now. Will you forgive me?”   
“Of course I forgive you,” I say with a smile. He hugs me briefly.   
“I’m glad,” he says. “I’ll talk to Alicia first thing after class. It’s time that you two work things out as well.”   
Then he turns to leave.  
I throw my bag over my shoulder and want to continue my way to class when I see Malfoy. He’s casually leaning towards the wall as he watches me. I try to stifle a grin as I walk up to him.  
“I see that you and Liam are friends again,” he says.  
“He came to apologize,” I confirm. “I don’t want to fight with him anymore.”   
“I understand,” Malfoy replies. “I’m glad that this situation sorted itself out.”   
“I still need to deal with Alicia though,” I say with a reluctant tone in my voice.  
“You’ll be alright,” Malfoy says.   
“So what are you doing here?”   
“I wanted to ask you if you want to meet up tonight. I want to talk to you about something.”   
A feeling of nauseating nervousness shoots right through me.   
“Of course.”   
“Good, that’s settled then,” he says. Then he turns around and walks away. 

“Hey Emily, sit down, Alicia will be here shortly,” Liam says during lunch. I do as he says with a nervous tickle in my stomach.   
After five minutes that felt like ages I can see my best friend walk up to us. I can see how uncomfortable she’s feeling.  
“You two need to talk,” Liam says. “This fight between us has taken long enough.”   
“I’m sorry,” I say as I look at her. “I never wanted to give you the idea that I chose Malfoy over you.”   
“I’m sorry too,” she says. I can see tears glistening in her eyes. “I know you would never do something like that. It was wrong of me to think that you would.”   
I stand up, walk over to her and pull her into a tight hug.   
“You will always be my best friend, Alicia,” I say as I let her go.   
“I’m glad that you were able to sort out your differences,” Liam says. He looks truly relieved that we made amends. “I have to go now, I still have a paper to finish for Charms.”   
We watch him leave and when he’s out of sight Alicia turns to me.  
“We haven’t spoken for so long. Would you care to update me on everything that happened? Especially with Malfoy?”   
I do as she asks me and when I’m finished she looks at me with a confused look on her face.  
“You don’t think he’s actually into you, do you?”   
“I can’t imagine Malfoy falling for someone,” I say in a hushed voice. “Especially if that someone is me.”   
“But why did he kiss you then?”   
“I have no idea.”   
“Are you gonna ask him about it?”   
“I’m not sure,” I say. “We are meeting up tonight. Do you think I should say something?”   
“Maybe,” she says. “Do you like him?”   
“I don’t know,” I answer elusively.  
We sit in silence for a while.  
“At least you’re ten times cuter than Pansy,” Alicia grins.  
“I’m so glad I can talk to you about this stuff again,” I say and I genuinely mean it. “By the way, how are things going between you and Deacon?”   
“He asked me if I want to be his girlfriend yesterday,” she says with a huge smile.  
“Did you say yes?”   
“Of course!”   
“That’s awesome,” I reply. “I’m happy for you.”   
“Thank you,” she says.  
We finish our lunch and say goodbye right after.   
“Let me know how things went with Malfoy,” Alicia says.   
“Will do,” I reply. Somehow the thought of tonight is making me feel really nervous in a very uncomfortable way. 

Just like always, Malfoy is already present when I enter the library.  
“Evening,” I say to greet him. He nods his head.  
The look on his face is one I can’t figure out.  
“So, you wanted to talk?” I say when I have taken my seat.  
“Yes,” he says. He looks me in the eye for a moment and after a brief silence he speaks the words that I never, ever expected to hear.  
“I think we should pull the plug on our plan.”   
I’m trying hard to hide the shock on my face, but my voice is giving me away.  
“What? Why?!”   
He takes a moment to choose his words carefully.  
“It’s not working.”   
“What isn’t?”   
“We set out to hurt Pansy but she hasn’t shown her face in weeks. I’m starting to think that maybe she let it go and so we should do the same.”   
The way he looks at me reminds me of the very beginning, when we were strangers still. His look is hardened, strict. I’m surprised to see how much it affects me.  
“But I thought-”  
“You thought what?”   
“I don’t know,” I say quietly and I’m praying that he doesn’t hear the emotion in my voice. “You kissed me the other day and I-”   
“It was a mistake and I realised that right away,” he says. My stomach hurts with every word he says. “I knew you would think too much of it.”   
“That’s unfair,” I say. My voice is trembling.  
“Is it?” he scoffs. “I knew you would think there was something to it.”   
“So there wasn’t?” I ask. I hate how emotional I sound.  
“It was just a kiss, Johnson.”   
“But-”   
“I shouldn’t have asked you to help me in the first place,” he continues relentlessly.   
“Why would you say that?” I say while fighting back the tears. I don’t even know why I’m hurt by this.  
“Because I should’ve known that you were vulnerable, naive, too easily impressed. I told you from the very beginning that we were faking it.”   
I’m so offended that I can’t even speak for a moment.   
He is staring at me with cold, hard eyes. I haven’t seen this look since before the dance.  
“So now you’re just dumping me?”   
“I’m not dumping you, Johnson,” he says harshly. “In order for me to dump you, you had to be my actual girlfriend first.”   
“You are such an asshole, Malfoy,” I whisper. I can’t stand to look at him anymore. I need to get out of here.I get up and start heading for the door.  
“That’s nothing you didn’t know already,” he says just before I reach it.  
The first tear that leaves my eye falls onto my hand as I close the door. 

He watches her storm out of the library. When he is sure she is beyond hearing distance he stands up and starts pacing. He kicks over a chair in an anger impulse, but then he forces himself to calm down.  
This had to be done before things would get out of hand. Before there would be feelings too strong for him to ignore. He didn’t want to hurt her but it was the only way.  
There was so much truth in the words he spoke to Blaise. He’s just not right for her. If anything, he would only destroy her. Some people just aren’t made to make other people happy, or make them feel loved.  
As long as he, Draco, cringed when even hearing the word ‘love’ he would be nothing but toxic to her.  
The best thing he could do for her is let her go.  
Even if it’s the last thing he wants to do.

Draco meets Blaise on his way to the dungeons.  
“What happened to you?” Blaise asks. “You look like shit.”   
I’ll tell you when we get inside,” Draco answers.  
They walk to the Slytherin common room together.  
“I ended things with Johnson,” he says as soon as they sit down.  
“You did what?” Blaise asks shocked.  
“I had to, there was no other way.”   
“I’m sorry mate, but you’re one hell of an idiot.”   
Draco stares at the fire for a while.  
“I told you yesterday, I’m no good for her.”   
“You told yourself that bull-crap,” Blaise says. “How did she take it?”   
“Not too well.”   
“Yeah, no kidding.”   
“This was the best I could do for her,” Draco says with gritted teeth.   
“When I see the stupid shit you pull I actually think you’re right,” Blaise scoffs.  
“No need to sugarcoat it,” Draco growls.  
“You are going to regret this,” Blaise says.  
“No I won’t.”   
“Yes, you will. We both know you have a thing for her.”   
“Shut up.”   
“Why? I know I’m right and so do you. You just threw away one hell of an opportunity.”  
“Do you think I actually enjoyed hurting her?” Draco says angrily as he turns to Blaise. “Do you think this was easy on me? That I don’t give a damn?”  
“I know you do give a damn, that’s the entire point I’m trying to make, you moron.”   
“It doesn’t matter. Johnson and I ended things,” Draco says as he stands up to leave. “I made a choice and I stand by it. I will hear no more about this. Just leave it alone. Leave me alone.”   
He walks through the door and right past Pansy who is hiding in the dark, eavesdropping.  
Her victorious smile gives away that she overheard their entire conversation.

Tears are streaming down my face as I enter the Ravenclaw tower.   
“Hey Em, how did it go?” Alicia says when she sees me but when she pays closer attention to me she shoots up from her chair and rushes over to me.  
“Oh no, what happened?” she says while she walks me over to the chair she just left and gently pushes me into it.  
“He doesn’t want to see me anymore,” I say heavily sobbing. “And the worst part is that I don’t even know why this affects me so much.”   
“Well, to be fair, it came as a complete surprise,” Alicia says.   
“He told me this morning that he wanted to talk about something and I was convinced he wanted to discuss that damn kiss.”   
“So what did he say to you?” Alicia asks quietly.  
“He made it look as if I was to blame for making too much of this entire thing,” I cry.  
“That’s just bull,” she answers.  
“Is it, Alicia?” I ask in a cracked voice.  
“Of course,” she says as she cowers next to me. “I saw the way he looked at you. Either he’s a damn good actor or he was flat out lying to you tonight.”   
“Either way, I’m done with him,” I say, while I wipe my face using my sleeve. “I should have known better.”   
“Don’t blame yourself,” Alicia says while she gently strokes my arm. “All you did was show him how good of a person you are. He’s the asshole here.”   
“I think I’m off to bed, I’m completely done with today,” I say after a while. Alicia nods.  
“You just rest, okay? And don’t think about Malfoy too much. He’s simply not worth it.”   
I give her a brief hug before I leave. When I enter the dorm I change into something more comfortable, climb into bed and pull the covers over my head so I can feel miserable in peace.  
What a disastrous way to find out that I do in fact have feelings for Malfoy.  
I’m absolutely disgusted by myself.  
I eventually cry myself to sleep, knowing that tomorrow will probably be hell.


	10. ~ 10 ~

I’m not sure how, but I manage to get myself out of bed the next morning. My body hurts as if Malfoy beat me down physically instead of mentally.  
What hurts even more so is the realization that I’m in love with him. However, I will never say that out loud to anyone. As Malfoy himself would say, I still have my pride.   
I get dressed and meet Alicia in the common room.  
“We should get breakfast,” she says as soon as she sees me. “Are you up for it?”   
“A girl has got to eat,” I say, but the thought of facing Malfoy in the Great Hall makes me hurt even more so.   
I feel the tension in my stomach building up as we walk downstairs. When we enter the Great Hall I quickly search for him at the Slytherin table.   
He’s not here yet. I’m not sure if I should be relieved or disappointed.   
We sit down. I hate the fact that I keep looking at the door to see if he comes walking through it, but somehow I can’t focus on anything else.  
“You need to eat something,” Alicia says as she hands me toast with marmalade. She’s keeping an eye on me and I know she’s worried. I take a bite but regret it immediately as my throat is simply too dry to swallow anything.   
My tense feeling reaches a painful climax when I finally see him coming through the door. His familiar face is looking dark, just like it always does. I can tell he’s doing his absolute best to not glance at the Ravenclaw table. I hate him for being stronger than me as I watch him sit down to eat. While I’m trying to keep my toast down I can see Pansy coming through the door. She sits down right next to Malfoy.  
I feel tears burning in my eyes and throat when I see she’s starting a conversation with him.  
This can’t be happening…  
I swallow back the tears as I leave the table.  
“Emily, wait,” I hear Alicia say, but I’m heading for the door as fast as I can.

“What do you want from me, Pansy?”   
“Always so hostile,” Pansy says as she pouts. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to cause you any trouble.”   
“No offense, but you always cause trouble.”   
“Relax, Draco. All I want is a civil conversation.”   
“What makes you think I’ll want one?”   
Pansy rolls her eyes.  
“I’ve heard through the grapevine that you and Johnson broke up.”   
“News travels fast,” Draco growls. “I bet you just loved hearing that, didn’t you?”   
“I’m not heartbroken over it, no. But I’m just asking you as a friend.”   
Draco snorts.  
“You and I are not friends, Pansy.”   
“But we could be,” she says. “We can’t be lovers, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”   
Draco takes a glass and fills it with orange juice.  
“Are you still mad at me?” she asks.  
“You are boring me, go away.”   
“Fine. I’ll come back to talk to you later.”   
Draco glances at her as she leaves the table.   
Before he can stop himself he looks over to where Emily usually sits. However, her spot is empty. For some reason it’s making him feel somewhat uncomfortable as he could’ve sworn she was there just minutes ago. 

“Follow me,” Pansy whispers to Liam as she finds him on his way to class. Liam looks left and right to make sure nobody sees them, then he follows her into a small and empty corridor.  
“Fate is on our side,” she says. He can tell she’s excited.   
“Why, what happened?”   
“Yesterday I overheard a conversation between Draco and Blaise and apparently him and Emily broke up,” Pansy says with a smile on her face. “This will make our plan an even greater success. Also, we can rush some steps now since we don’t need to seperate them anymore.”  
“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Liam says as he looks at Pansy. “You mean to go through with this plan even though you tell me that the main goal has already been completed?”   
“The main goal is to get Johnson on her knees,” Pansy says in a hard voice.  
“You told me that you wanted Draco and Emily to break up,” Liam says, clearly uncomfortable.  
“We have to go through with this,” Pansy says. “Unless you want out. Do you want out?”   
“I don’t know,” Liam says. “I don’t want to hurt her.”   
“Fine, back out of it then,” she hisses. “Watch your little girlfriend walk right back into Draco’s open arms.”   
“You just told me that they broke up.”   
“I also know the way Draco looks at her,” she replies. “He wants her. Our job is to make sure that that won’t happen.”   
“I understand,” Liam says.  
“I know that she saw me talking to Draco this morning. She walked away shortly after. You make sure that she starts believing that there was more to our little conversation.”   
After that she leaves Liam behind.

I barely make it through the day. I skip lunch just to avoid Malfoy and when the day is finally over, I head back to the common room as fast as I possibly can. It’s needless to say that it was even worse than I anticipated.   
It’s around nine in the evening when I’m curled up with a good book, trying to ignore the thought that I probably would’ve been with Malfoy in the library right now if things hadn’t changed so drastically. I hear the door open and Liam’s face appears. He spots me and I see how he walks over to me.  
“Hey Em,” he says in a soft voice.  
“Hey Liam, how are you?”   
“I was just about to ask you the same.”   
“Why is that?”   
“Well, I’ve heard about you and Malfoy,” he says. I can tell he’s feeling awkward. “Is it true that you’ve broken up?”   
“It is,” I confirm.  
“Is it because of him and Pansy?”   
My stomach twitches almost immediately.  
“What do you mean?”   
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he says. He tries to walk away but I stop him from leaving.  
“No, why? What did you hear?”   
“I didn’t hear anything,” he says. “But I saw them together this afternoon.”   
I feel like bursting out into tears right here, right now.  
“Together together?”   
“They were walking out of an empty classroom,” Liam says. I can see the pain in his eyes. “I’m not sure if something happened as I didn’t see, but it didn’t look as if they had been fighting or something. I thought you knew already and that this was the reason that you broke up with him.”   
“It’s okay, Liam,” I say with a hollow voice that doesn't sound like my own at all. “Now, if you will excuse me.”   
I can feel his gaze as he watches me leave for bed.   
I close the door and sit down on my bed. Is this really what’s going on? Did he in fact change his mind about wanting Pansy back? He was so sure when I asked him about it. He told me he would never get back with her. Multiple times. On the other hand, I never expected him to treat me the way he did, patronizing me like that.  
I can feel the tears streaming down my face as I make up my mind. I’m ditching class tomorrow. And the day after if I feel like it.

It doesn’t take long for Draco to notice Emily’s absence in the Great Hall for the next couple of days. When he comes to think of it, he didn’t see her for breakfast, lunch or dinner and he didn’t spot her walking to classes either since tuesday. That’s three days today.  
It surprises him that he’s actually somewhat worried about her.   
He wanted to scare her off, make sure that she didn’t want to see him anymore. Now he starts to think he genuinely hurt her and it’s making him feel uneasy.   
To make things even worse, Pansy apparently decided that his recent ‘break-up’ with Emily granted her permission to try to talk to him almost everyday now.  
She follows him around everywhere, trying to have a conversation with him whenever she can. She tried to convince him that she only wants to be his friend but considering the fact that it’s Pansy, he’s highly suspicious.  
Having that said, he hasn’t noticed her say or do things to make him think otherwise.  
Maybe she actually did let it go, who knows.  
“Hey mate,” Blaise says as he walks up to Draco right after dinner. “What are you doing tonight?”   
Pansy is standing a couple of feet away pretending to search her bag for a textbook, but she stays unnoticed.  
“I need to go to the library,” he replies.  
“I thought you were trying to avoid that place?” Blaise asks.  
“Yes, but I need to do my homework and I’m in need of actual books, so I can’t avoid it.”   
“Maybe we can go together, I could use some help with a paper for Potions class I’ve been working on,” Blaise suggests.  
“No, that’s fine,” Draco says. “I’ll rather go alone.”   
“Are you sure?”   
“I don’t need you to hold my hand, Blaise.”   
“Okay, I’ll be out of your hair then.”  
Blaise grins as he walks away.  
Pansy grabs a piece of parchment and a quill out of her bag as she quickly writes a note.   
Right before she leaves to the dungeons, she runs up to Liam who’s standing near the entrance of the Great Hall. She crams the piece of parchment in his hand and walks away as if nothing happened.  
After Liam watches her leave he reads his note.

Be in the library at nine o’clock sharp. Make sure you bring Johnson.

“Leave me alone, Liam.”   
“No. Come with me, Emily. It’ll be good for you.”   
I throw him a tired look.   
“Give me one good reason.”   
“You haven’t attended any classes for three days. You’re getting behind. I’ll stay with you the entire time so you don’t have time to think about Malfoy,” Liam says.  
“But why does it have to be the library?” I sigh.  
“Because it’s not just one class you’re behind on. I can’t carry that many books, Em.”   
“I hate you for being right,” I say.  
“So does that mean you’re coming?”   
“Fine.”   
Liam glances at the clock. They have ten minutes to reach the library which means that they will be on time for whatever Pansy has in store for them. He can’t help but to feel nervous.

It’s a quarter to nine when Pansy walks into the library. She searches for Malfoy real quick but then she spots him at a nearby table.  
“Hello,” she says in a sweet voice.  
Draco looks up from his book.  
“What are you doing here?” he asks irritated.  
Pansy walks around him and sits down on the table.  
“I just wanted to ask you if you needed help.”   
Draco rubs his eyes, then tries to focus on his book.  
“Seriously Pansy, I’m not sure what you’re playing at but it’s getting real old.”   
“Don’t be like this, Draco,” she says while she looks at him.   
She stares at his watch for a quick moment when he turns his page. Five minutes to go.  
“I wanted to let you know that I regret how things turned out,” she says. “I thought that you might want to talk things over sometime.”   
“Listen Pansy, I’m not angry at you anymore, but I’m sure as hell not gonna forgive you either. You should know that I don’t do that.”   
“I know,” she says as she gently brushes his shoulder. “But exceptions can be made, right?”   
Draco stands up from his chair as he turns towards her with an angry look on his face.  
“Exceptions can be made for those who deserve it,” he says as he watches her coming closer.   
Just as she wants to touch his face, he grabs her wrists to prevent her from doing so.  
As they are standing here Draco hears a door open. Before he can look, Pansy kisses him firmly and completely unexpected.  
He needs a moment to process what’s happening, but when he finds a chance to distance himself from Pansy he looks straight in the face of-  
“Johnson?” he says, his face shocked.

Liam checks the time every ten seconds and notices that they have arrived a little too soon.  
“Wait, let me get my shoelace,” he says.  
He pretends to struggle with it until it is time and he and Emily walk through the door of the library at exactly nine o’clock.  
He notices the look on Emily’s face before he reads the situation, but then he sees what’s happening. Malfoy and Pansy are involved in what seems like a passionate kiss. By the way Draco is holding her arms it seems like he’s into it as well and for a moment Liam admires Pansy’s success.  
When Malfoy lets go of Pansy he looks at Emily with a shocked look on his face.  
“Johnson?” he hears Malfoy say and he knows the surprise on his face is genuine as he got played by Pansy in the most evil way.  
As Liam turns his attention back to Emily, the look on her face makes his heart break. She turns around and storms out of the library.  
“You bitch!” Malfoy growls as he turns to Pansy. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”   
“Good luck getting your little Ravenclaw back now,” she says with an amused look.   
“I will make sure you will regret this,” he says as he points his finger at her.   
Then he runs out of the library to find Emily.

I’m walking away without even paying attention to where I’m going. It takes only seconds when I hear footsteps coming closer.  
“Johnson!”   
It’s Malfoy, but I pretend like I didn’t hear him and continue to walk.  
“Johnson,” he says again but I can’t talk to him. I don’t want him to see me like this. I don’t want him to know how much this hurts.  
“Emily, stop.”   
The sound of his voice calling me by my first name makes my heart hurt.  
I slowly turn around to face him. The look on his face is one I don’t recognize.  
“What do you want, Malfoy?”   
“What you just saw back there, it’s not-”   
“I know exactly what I saw. You don’t have to explain.”   
“Of course I need to explain,” he says irritated. “I want nothing from Pansy, you know that.”   
“You made it very clear that I’m not your girlfriend, Malfoy. You don’t have any responsibility towards me. I know that you and Pansy have been seeing each other more often since we pulled the plug.”   
I realize that it’s completely useless to fight the tears, so I decide to just let them go.  
“I never expected anything from you, but I’m disappointed that I apparently mean so little to you. I thought we became friends by now, but clearly I was wrong,” I say while I wipe the tears from my eyes. It’s not helping one bit as new ones fall onto my face immediately.  
“I’m gonna continue my walk to the Ravenclaw tower now. I don’t want you to follow me. You should probably get back to Pansy.”   
I turn around and walk away, barely keeping myself together.

As Draco watches Emily walk away, he can’t remember if he ever felt this powerless. Pansy played her game very well. How on earth was he going to explain what happened and that he had nothing to do with it?  
He thinks about the tears on her face and it makes him want to scream.  
He never expected to share her pain but he does.   
Blaise was right. As he stands here, the remains of his conversation with Johnson in the back of his mind, he regrets the decision to end things with her more than anything.  
Draco punches the wall out of frustration as he realizes how much easier he made it for Pansy to sabotage everything.  
He hurt Emily. He hurt her bad and now he lost her.  
It is right in this moment when he realizes he made a mistake. He wanted to avoid getting feelings that were too intense to ignore, but as he stands here he knows that it was already too late. He was already in love with her.   
He needs to find a way to explain to her, and fast.

“What did you just do?” Liam shouts at Pansy, who’s obviously gloating.  
“I did what I set out to do,” she says. “I brought her to her knees.”   
“What did she ever do to you to make you hate her so much?” Liam asks Pansy with a disgusted look on his face.  
“The fact that she exists was enough all on its own, but then she decided to take Draco from me.”   
“You fool.”   
“Excuse me?”   
“She didn’t take Malfoy from you. You did that all by yourself when you decided to hit it off with Goyle.”   
“He wasn’t hers to take,” she says with gritted teeth. “She got what she deserved. What’s this, Liam? You don’t like the outcome of my little plan? Too bad. Things have already been set in motion and there’s no way in hell that Malfoy and Johnson will reconcile.”  
“That remains to be seen,” Liam says as he walks away from her. “Don’t ever speak to me again.” 

“So it’s true?” Alicia asks me quietly as she hands me a glass of water.   
As I answer her I notice that my face feels weird because of all the dried up tears.   
“I saw it with my own eyes. They’re back together,” I say. The only reason I’m not crying anymore is because I just feel so numb.  
“Didn’t he try to explain?”   
“He came after me. He said he wants nothing from her.”   
“So what if this is just a scheme of hers to hurt you?”   
“I thought about that as well, but Liam saw them together,” I say. “Liam wouldn’t lie to me. So it has to be true.”   
Alicia stares at her hands.  
“I will never forgive him for hurting you like this,” she says.  
“Please don’t go talk to him, it’s bad enough as it is,” I reply.  
“If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”   
“Thank you.”   
“Any time.”   
“I think I’ll go to bed soon if you don’t mind,” I say.  
“Of course. I’ve been wondering though…”   
“Yes?”  
“When will you be attending classes again?”   
“Tomorrow,” I say with a trembling voice. “I can’t stay in here forever. Even though I would if I could.”   
“I think that’s a wise choice,” Alicia says.  
“Will you help me avoid Malfoy?” I ask.  
“Of course. I’ll be with you every step of the way,” she answers. Then she pulls me into a tight hug.  
“Good night, sweetie.”   
“You too.”   
I still feel numbed out when I get into bed. Apparently, the human body as its own defence mechanism as it just shuts down when it’s in too much pain.   
I wish I didn’t like him the way I do. Just as I wish that his words would stop resounding in my head.  
“I want nothing from Pansy. You know that.”   
Would he have followed me if he truly didn’t care about me? Probably not.  
Why did he then?  
So many questions that are in need of an answer, and I have none of them.   
I fall into a restless sleep as I’m already feeling nervous for tomorrow.


	11. ~ 11 ~

But Malfoy doesn’t show up for breakfast. His seat remains empty.  
“I guess he just didn’t feel like getting all the hate,” Alicia says. “What do you think, Liam?”  
“I don’t know,” he mumbles.  
“You’re so quiet lately, is everything alright?”   
“Yes. Yes, I’m fine. Just busy, is all,” he says absently. “Anyway, I have to go. We’ll talk later.”   
Then he leaves without awaiting an answer.  
“What’s with him?” Alicia asks confused. I just shrug.   
We finish our breakfast and start heading for class when Alicia says she needs to use the bathroom.  
“Do you want me to come?”   
“No, you go ahead. I’ll find you when I’m done.”   
And so I start making my way to class alone.

Alicia leaves the bathroom about five minutes later and she starts making her way to class.  
Shortly before she arrives, somebody pulls her arm.  
“In here,” she hears a male voice say as the arm pulls her inside an empty cupboard.  
“Lumos,” she hears the voice whisper and when her eyes are used to the light she stares right in the face of Draco Malfoy.  
“You!” she hisses. “You got some nerve!”   
“Will you just calm down for a moment?” Draco says, but Alicia is not willing to hear him out.  
“Do you have any idea what you did to her? How she’s feeling about all this? It might have been a joke to you, but it wasn’t for her! You’re a rat, Malfoy. You used her and then you threw her away.”   
“Why do you girls always talk so much?” Draco growls. “Just hear me out, will you?”   
“Never,” she fires at him. “Don’t you dare come near me or Emily again.”   
She throws open the door of the cupboard and storms to class, leaving Draco behind.

“Draco, mate, I’ve been hearing wild stories about you. Would you care to inform me?”   
Blaise finds Draco sitting on the steps of the grand staircase, looking highly agitated.  
“Do you want the short or long version?”   
“Whatever makes you happy,” Blaise says.  
“Pansy fucked me over,” Draco growls.  
“I heard something about a kiss,” Blaise replies.  
“She lured me into it,” Draco says infuriated. “She must have heard our conversation when I told you I was going to be at the library. She tried to have a conversation and then I heard a door open and as I wanted to see who it was, she just kissed me. It was Johnson and I know what she must’ve thought because I know what it looked like.”   
“Doesn’t that sound all too coincidental to you?”   
“What do you mean?” Draco asks as he looks at Blaise.  
“Pansy kissing you at the exact moment Emily walks in? This reeks of foul play.”   
“But how did she pull that off? I know those two hate each other’s guts so there’s no way that Pansy had told Johnson to be there at that exact time,” Draco says.  
“Was she alone?”   
“No, that boy was with her. What’s his name … Liam.”   
“Then I strongly suggest that you go talk to him,” Blaise says.  
“I absolutely hate that I care so much,” Draco grumbles quietly.  
“Ah yes,” Blaise says with a subtle smile. “You might not like it, my friend, but you have officially entered the world of rainbows and butterflies.”   
“I just need her to hear me out.” Draco says. “How do I make sure she will listen to me?”   
“I’d go talk to her for you, mate,” Blaise says as he pats Draco on his shoulder. “But she knows who I am and I’m pretty sure she would refuse to talk to me as well.”   
“Yes, you’re probably right,” Draco replies. “Pansy definitely got her way. Johnson will never talk to me again.”   
“You don’t know that,” Blaise answers. “Just give her some time, maybe she’ll come around.”   
“She saw Pansy kissing me and she thinks I wanted it,” Draco growls. “No Blaise, it’s over. I’ve lost her.”   
“Just go talk to Liam, maybe it will help.”   
“I’ve already tried turning to her friends. It’s useless.”   
“Like I said, give it some time,” Blaise says. They stay silent for a while.   
“I have to go now, will you be okay?”   
Draco nods his head.  
“We’ll talk later then,” he says. Then he gets up and walks off, leaving Draco all alone with his misery.

Alicia and Liam meet in the common room later that night. Emily has left for bed early.   
“How is she doing?” Liam asks quietly.  
“Not too good, she’s really hurting,” Alicia says as she sees Liam cringe.   
“I hate to see her like this,” he says.  
“Malfoy tried to talk to me this afternoon,” Alicia tells him.  
“No way, what did he say?”   
“Nothing, I didn’t give him the chance to.”   
They stare at each other for a moment.  
“Now, that’s really something,” Liam says.  
“Not at all, he’s just trying to rub it in,” Alicia growls.  
“Are you sure about that?”   
“How can you question that? Don’t you see what he did to her?”   
Liam says nothing. His stomach is hurting.   
“Well, anyway, I’m off to bed,” Alicia says. Liam watches her leave.  
Who would have thought everything would turn into such a mess? He never intended to hurt her, he just wanted to protect her against Malfoy. But as it turns out, she only needed protection from him.   
God knows he regrets what he did, with every bone in his body. If there was a way to turn back time, he would’ve gladly done so. But there isn’t. He messed up to the point of no return.  
Unless…  
Unless he tries to redeem himself. Come clean. Tell the truth.   
His stomach ache worsens as he makes up his mind.

“Malfoy.”   
Draco is on his way outside the next morning when he hears someone calling his name.  
As he turns around he sees Liam.  
“What do you want?”   
“To talk.”   
“Unless you can get me into the same room with Johnson, I’m not interested in what you have to say.”   
“Funny you should say that. You turned to Alicia, but she can’t help you. However, I’m pretty sure I can.”   
Draco thinks about it for a moment.  
“Alright, you have my attention. Speak up.”   
“Not here, way too crowded. I happen to know there’s a secret room near the Slytherin common room. Can we meet there tonight at, let’s say, eight?”   
“How do you know about-”  
“That’s not important right now. Meet me tonight and I’ll tell you everything.”   
Then he turns to walk away.

“Okay, so let’s hear it,” Draco says as he meets Liam in the secret Slytherin room.  
“I need you to stay calm and let me finish the entire story,” Liam says. “You’re gonna be mad at me and that’s okay, but if you want Emily back, you need to stay until I’m finished.”   
Draco says nothing.  
“Okay, here goes,” Liam says, clearly nervous. “I’m not sure if you know, but I’ve been in love with Emily for a long time.”   
“I figured as much,” Draco says with gritted teeth.   
“Then one day I learned that she was getting involved with you and I hated that idea so much that it almost consumed me. I was willing to do whatever it took to prevent that from happening. Anyway, the Valentine dance came up and I saw you with her and something just … snapped. I was standing there all alone feeling sorry for myself, when I overheard a conversation between Pansy and her friend Daphne…”   
“Go on,” Malfoy grumbles.  
“They were talking about you. Pansy started saying that she was gonna make you believe that she wanted you back. Whatever she tried to make you believe between the dance and now is false. She never really wanted you back. All she ever wanted was to mess with you and Emily and make sure Emily would pay for ‘stealing’ you away from her. I confronted her with this the very next day. I made up my mind and told her I wanted in on it.”   
“You did what?” Malfoy hisses. “You were supposed to be her friend and you screwed her over like that? And they say I am an asshole!”   
“Easy, I’m not finished yet. You can yell at me all you want when I’m done,” Liam says. “Anyway, she told me that she wanted to lay low for a while, make you and Emily think that she dropped it. What she really did was thinking of ways to break the two of you up. After a couple of weeks she met up with me and told me that I needed to start telling Emily that I saw you with her. I never imagined it would work, but as it turned out we decided to do so at the same time you told Emily that you didn’t want to see her anymore. Pansy was excited when she heard about that because she knew that this would help her plan play out perfectly.”  
“This explains why Johnson said that I was meeting up with Pansy again,” Draco says with an angry tone in his voice.  
Liam continues his story.  
“On the night that you went to the library to study, Pansy gave me a note. It said that I needed to make sure that Emily was going to be there at exactly nine o’clock. I had no idea what she was planning on, but I decided to go through with it anyway. It was the biggest mistake I ever made. Emily was truly heartbroken afterwards. She never said it out loud, but I know my best friend. I can tell she’s crazy about you.”   
Draco tries to ignore the stinging in his gut.  
“I was sure you were going to hurt her and you did. But not nearly as bad as I did. I want to make things right, so here I am, telling you the entire story.”   
The both of them stay silent for a while.  
“Can you get her to me?” Draco asks eventually.  
“I doubt it. The last time I told her to go somewhere, I brought her to that damn library. She will probably never follow me anywhere ever again.”   
“You need to confess to her. Tell her that this wasn’t me.”   
“I don’t think I can do that, Malfoy.”   
“What do you mean? What’s been the point of this then?” Draco fires at him in a raised voice.  
“I can’t tell her that I lied to her. I will build the courage to tell Alicia and ask her to help me to get you and Emily together soon, okay?”   
“How soon is soon?” Draco asks impatiently.   
“I’ll make this right, I promise.” Liam says. “Just give me a couple of days.” 

It’s been a week since I saw Malfoy and Pansy kissing and I’m starting to feel a little bit better. He never promised me anything so he’s free to kiss whoever he wants.   
It’s been helping that I haven’t run into him or Pansy for a couple of days now. It’s as if they are trying to avoid me as well as I’m trying to avoid them.   
I’m completely okay with that. It’s easier to accept what is without being confronted with it everyday.  
Alicia and I meet during Transfiguration.  
“There’s something off about Liam,” she whispers.  
“Why do you think that?”   
“He’s been avoiding us, haven’t you noticed?”   
“No, I can’t say that I have.”   
“Well, he is. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I intent on finding out.”   
I shrug. “Maybe he has found himself a girlfriend and maybe that’s the reason that he just doesn’t have the time to talk to us.”   
“Maybe,” Alicia says in a dark voice.   
I turn back to my assignment. I’ve had enough drama for an entire year. I don’t need to take on anyone else’s.

It’s late at night when Liam walks into the common room. Alicia is still sitting in a chair reading a book.  
“Hey Liam,” she says when she looks up. “Where have you been?”   
“Out. I needed to think.”   
He slowly walks towards Alicia and sits down across from her.  
“Liam, I think you should tell me what’s going on.”   
“You’re right,” he says as he takes a deep breath. “There is something I need to tell you. Promise me you won’t get angry.”   
Alicia stares at him with a confused look on her face.  
“I’m listening…”   
“I need to start by saying that I need your help. Or actually, Emily does.”   
“What does Emily have to do with this?”   
“Everything,” Liam says regretfully. “Do you remember that you told me that Malfoy reached out to you?”   
“Yes?”   
“He wasn’t doing that because he wanted to rub it in. He reached out to you because he needs your help.”   
“He got caught kissing Pansy,” Alicia growls. “I will never help him to get to Emily.”  
“He had nothing to do with that kiss,” Liam answers quietly.  
“How do you know that?” Alicia asks.  
“Because I helped Pansy set up the entire thing…” Liam whispers.  
Alicia stares at him for a moment, her face nothing but utter shock.  
“You helped- you did … you did what?!”   
For the second time in a week Liam tells the entire story from start to end.   
“I can’t believe this!” Alicia shouts. “You saw how much it hurt her, you saw! How could you have kept this this to yourself for so long?”   
“I didn’t mean to,” Liam says. “I never meant to hurt her in the first place. My only goal was to keep her away from Malfoy as I was convinced he was nothing but toxic. After I realized that Pansy’s intentions were far from decent, it was already too late and after everything blew up I was scared to confess because I knew you and Emily would probably never be able to forgive me. However, I sacrifice my friendship with the both of you to make sure that Emily will be happy again. I want to set up a meeting between her and Malfoy. That way he can explain the entire story. That way, the choice will be theirs instead of mine and Pansy's. Just like it should be.”   
“I absolutely hate you for doing this,” Alicia grumbles. “But I think you’re right. I’m going to help you to get them together, but after that I don’t want to talk to you for a very, very long time.”   
“I understand,” Liam says in a soft voice. “I will discuss a location with Malfoy. Will you bring her to it once the time comes?”   
“Deal,” Alicia agrees. 

Liam pats Draco Malfoy on his shoulder as he sees him standing outside of the Charms classroom, waiting for professor Flitwick to arrive.  
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”   
Draco follows Liam to the back.   
“I hope you’re here to bring me some good news,” Draco says.  
“I am, actually. I talked to Alicia. She knows everything and agreed on helping me getting you and Emily together to talk things through. I’m here to ask you when and where you want to meet up.”   
“Tonight,” Draco says immediately. “In the library, at seven.”   
“Do you think it will be a smart move to meet up in the library?” Liam asks.  
“We always met up in the library. It will be okay as soon as she hears me out.”   
“I’ll go tell Alicia. Let’s make this happen.”   
Then he walks away, leaving Malfoy feeling slightly nervous.   
Draco walks back to the classroom. The door is opened and he walks in to find himself a seat. It’s going to happen tonight. He will finally get the chance to explain himself. All he can do is hope that she will believe him.  
And if she doesn’t, well, then he will make sure that Liam talks to her until she does.

“Emily, I need to talk to you.”   
“What’s up?” I say as I sit down next to Alicia.  
“I have to tell you something.”   
“Okay,” I say, a little confused.  
“I need you to come to the library with me tonight.”   
I instantly stand up.  
“Why would you even ask me this?” I say as I immediately feel tears burning in my eyes. “You know what happened there. I was just starting to forget. I don’t want to go back to that place.”  
“Please just hear me out, okay?” Alicia says. “Malfoy is waiting there for you at seven tonight. He needs to tell you something.”   
“I don’t ever want to talk to Malfoy again, you know that,” I say with a trembling voice. “How can you even ask me if I want to go?”   
“Because I think it’s very important that you do,” Alicia replies.  
“Why?”   
“I don’t think I’m the right person to explain everything.”   
“But Malfoy is?”   
“Well, yes, actually.”   
I stare at Alicia in silence for a while.   
“I really don't feel like doing this.”  
“You can trust me, I'm not setting you up.”  
“You are my best friend,” I say quietly.   
“I am, yes.”   
“You wouldn’t lie to me, right?”   
“Never. I don’t think you’re gonna regret this, Em,” Alicia says with an encouraging smile on her face. “Come on, let’s get you ready.”   
It’s a quarter to seven when we walk towards the library.   
I feel a nasty sting in my stomach as the door comes in sight.  
“One more thing, Emily, before you go in,” Alicia says as she straightens my shirt. “Whatever Malfoy has to say about Liam, you should believe him. No matter how unlikely it sounds.”   
“I don’t get it,” I say with a frown.  
“Just remember what I’m telling you. Believe him.”   
Then she walks away, leaving me standing before the entrance of the library with my heart painfully pounding in my chest.   
I take a deep breath as I open the door.


	12. ~ 12 ~

And then I see him. It feels like it has been ages. He’s sitting at a table and I can see him looking up as soon as he hears the door open.   
As I see him I realize how much I missed being around him. However, I instantly push that thought out of my mind.  
His grey eyes meet mine.   
“You came,” he says.  
“I did.” My voice doesn’t sound like my own at all. “I’m only here because of Alicia.”  
For some reason I want him to know that I didn't come out of free will.  
“There’s a lot that happened and I need you to understand.”   
I nod my head once, then I walk over to the table and sit down across from him.  
“We have been set up,” he says.  
I say nothing as I’m still convinced that he’s just lying to me.  
“Pansy put a lot of effort into hurting you.”   
“Well, she succeeded,” I say sarcastically.  
“That kiss you saw wasn’t real. She waited until your arrival, then she basically threw herself at me.”   
“That makes no sense at all,” I say. “Liam and I decided to go down to study only minutes before we entered the library. There’s no way that she would’ve known that I was coming.”   
“But she did though,” Malfoy says in a soft voice that I haven’t heard him use very often.  
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to tell me.”   
“Liam was involved in her plan.”   
I snort as I throw him an angry look.  
“Do you expect me to believe that Liam, who has been my friend for many years, deliberately set me up to walk in on a kiss between you and Pansy, because Pansy asked him to?”   
“That’s exactly what happened,” Malfoy confirms.  
“I can’t believe you!” I shout at him as I stand up. “Not only did you have the nerve to let me come to this place, but now you’re telling me that my best friend screwed me over? I’m getting out of here,” I say as I walk to the door.  
“Johnson, do you honestly believe that Alicia would bring you here if there wasn’t a real good explanation for what happened?”   
I freeze as I let those words in, my hand resting on the doorknob. Then, suddenly, I can hear Alicia’s voice in my head.  
“Whatever Malfoy has to say about Liam, you should believe him. No matter how unlikely it sounds.”   
I slowly turn around.   
“Please tell me that this didn’t happen,” I say with a burning in my throat.  
“I wish I could,” Malfoy says.  
I punch the door with both my fists while I’m breathing heavily. I takes me a little while to calm down, but I walk back to Malfoy eventually.  
“Tell me everything,” I say as I retake my seat.  
“Apparently Liam overheard a conversation Pansy was having with a friend at the Valentine dance,” Draco continues. “She was saying how she wanted to make you think that she wanted me back. Anyway, long story short, Liam didn’t want you to get involved with me because he thought I was going to end up hurting you.”   
“He was right about that though,” I say.  
“I’ll get to that later, Johnson,” Malfoy says strictly. “Liam offered Pansy his help because he cared for you. In a very selfish way, I might add. But still.”   
“Liam told me that he saw you and Pansy coming out of an empty classroom,” I say. “Did that happen or not?”   
“Never,” Malfoy says. “They fed you this lie to make you doubt me, and it was so easy for you to believe it because I had messed up prior to it.”   
“Messed up?” I ask.  
“Isn’t it funny how I did what I did because of the same reason Liam did what he did?” Malfoy replies.  
“What do you mean?”   
“Come on Johnson, isn’t it obvious? There was something starting to grow between us and I didn’t want that for you. I’m an asshole, you said it yourself multiple times. I couldn’t possibly start anything with you, because I believed the same thing Liam did. I was sure that I was gonna end up hurting you one way or another. I wanted to scare you off, make sure that you wanted to stay away from me because I wanted to protect you from me. That’s why I told you I didn’t want to continue the plan. But I messed up because it was already too late, for the both of us. I realized as soon as I saw the look on your face and if I’m being completely honest, I regretted it from the very start. But I couldn’t go back, because I still believed I was doing you a favor. I hated myself for hurting you like that, because that was exactly what I was trying to prevent.”   
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Malfoy continues his story.  
“I realized what was going on the second Pansy pulled me in for that kiss. As soon as I saw you I knew what she did. I also knew what you were thinking. She told Liam to make sure you were at the library at a certain time so that you had to witness her little show. I got angry with her right away, but she just smiled at me and said I would probably never get you back now.”   
My head is spinning and I feel a throbbing headache coming up.  
“Say something,” Malfoy says as he stares at me.  
“I’m not sure what to say. This is a lot to take in.”   
“Just start somewhere. Tell me your side of the story.”   
“Fine,” I say as I take a deep breath. “You kissed me after our trip to Hogsmeade and it confused me enormously. I couldn’t imagine you falling for anyone, let alone me. However, I noticed I was beginning to actually enjoy your company and I feared the same as you did. I was scared that I might be getting feelings for you and I really didn’t want that because I was afraid of how you would react to that. I wasn’t planning on confessing in the slightest way, but then that kiss happened and I started to think that maybe you liked me back. When you told me you wanted to talk to me, I was convinced you wanted to discuss what happened between us. But you didn’t …”   
I take a pause. Malfoy’s facial expression is a very serious one.  
“You rejected me in a very painful way and more than anything I was surprised by the way it affected me. I knew that there were some feelings there, but I never realized how much it had spiralled out of control already until you told me that you didn’t want to see me anymore. Maybe I was telling myself in a way that I missed your company because I started to see you as a friend after everything we shared together, but when I saw Pansy kissing you, I knew that it had to be more. It broke my heart and having to see the two of you together was the most painful sight ever.”  
We sit in silence for a while.  
“I need you to explain something to me,” I say.  
“Sure.”   
“How did you get Alicia to help you? She was very mad at you for hurting me.”   
“I tried to talk to her but she refused to listen to me,” Malfoy answers. “Liam came up to me the day after. He said he knew I tried to talk to Alicia but that she couldn’t help me. Then he said he could. he confessed the entire thing to me.”   
“Seriously? But why?” I ask.  
“Because he couldn’t stand to see you hurt,” Malfoy replies. “In some ways, Liam and I are very much alike.”   
Another silence.   
“I missed you.”   
It escapes my mouth before I even notice it and as I look at Malfoy I can see a smile on his face. He reaches over the table and grabs my hand for a moment.  
“It’s good to have you back, Johnson.”   
When I notice the time I see that it’s close to eleven.   
“I should probably head back soon, process all this information,” I say.   
Malfoy stands up, walks around the table and offers me his hand. I take it as he helps me up and then he pulls me towards his chest and holds me close for a while.   
“I want to see you again tomorrow,” he says. “And maybe the day after that.”   
I can’t help but to smile.  
He looks at me for a moment, then he brings his face close to mine and kisses me gently.  
When he lets me go after a couple of minutes I stare into his eyes.  
“Just one more thing before I go,” I say.  
“Sure, what’s that?”  
“Leave Pansy to me.”   
I give him one last kiss, then I turn to leave.

It takes a couple of days before I get a chance to get my revenge on Pansy. I asked Malfoy to not talk to her and he holds true to his word as he hasn’t spoken to her at all. For some reason I feel like it has to be me to set her straight because she specifically tried to hurt me. Malfoy and I agreed on not telling anyone that we reconciled for the time being. That way, I can use that information to throw in Pansy’s smug face. When the chance occurs to get her for myself, I take it with both hands.  
She is on her way to class with Daphne when she accidentally drops her bag and I can see her belongings scattered all over the floor.  
“Do you need some help?” Daphne asks as she picks up one of Pansy’s quills.  
“No, just leave me, I’ll be up in a minute,” Pansy growls as she takes the quill from Daphne’s hand.  
I notice myself grinning as I walk over to her. I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time…  
“You, come with me. Now,” I say as I grab her arm. I push her into an abandoned classroom and close the door.  
“Johnson?! What do you think you’re doing?” she says arrogantly.  
“I think it’s time you and I have a little conversation,” I say.   
“Oh, poor little Emily,” she replies with an evil smile. “Have you come to pout because I shared a passionate kiss with Malfoy? I’m sorry darling, you should’ve known better than to doublecross me. Just like you should have known you are no match for me.”   
I throw her a smile and I can tell she’s confused by it.  
“Oh no Pansy, you see, Malfoy and I are already completely up to date about what you did. You may think I’ve come to pout, but no,” I say in a soft voice. “I actually came here to thank you.”   
I can tell she’s very much confused, but she quickly bounces back from it.  
“Haven’t you noticed Liam’s strange behaviour lately?” she asks while she chuckles. “You’ll be shocked to find out that he helped me to destroy whatever you had going on with Draco.”   
I take a few steps towards her and bring my face close to hers.  
“Who do you think told me about your plan?” I say quietly with a grin. “Oh yes, Liam told be all about your little scheme. I think you can guess what that means.”   
“It means nothing,” she replies as I see her look turn into an angry one.  
“Oh, but it does!” I say amused. “In fact, it means everything! It means that Malfoy and I are more in love than ever, because we realised we are miserable without each other. And you know what the best part is? We owe it all to you. So, thank you Pansy, for bringing us even closer together.”   
“I don’t even give a damn,” she fires at me, completely dropping her little act. “Enjoy my hand-me-down, Johnson.”   
“Oh I will,” I say, still grinning. “Oh and by the way, before I leave…”   
I walk up to her and punch her right in the face.  
“There. Now we’re even,” I say. I throw her one last pitiful look, then I leave the room.  
As I turn around, I can see Goyle standing there.  
“Care to tell me what happened?” he says while looking at me.  
“You should go ask your her,” I say.   
As I walk away, I can hear him enter the classroom.

“What happened here?” Goyle asks Pansy.  
“Help me up, will you?” Pansy growls at him. Her nose is heavily bleeding.  
“Did Johnson do that to you?” he asks without moving.  
“Is that important?” she hisses. “Why are you standing there? Help me!”   
“I don’t think I will,” Goyle replies.  
Pansy looks at him, highly agitated.  
“What’s wrong with you?”   
“You really think I’m an idiot, don’t you?”   
“What’s that supposed to mean?”   
“Hm, let’s see,” Goyle answers as he pretends he’s thinking really hard. “Did you honestly expect me to just sit back and watch you drool all over Draco Malfoy? Did you really think I was going to be okay with that?”   
“You knew I didn’t really want him back,” Pansy answers as she throws him a look.  
“You’re right, I knew that. But I didn’t know that you could sink so low,” he answers. “I’m done with you, Pansy.”   
“Oh come on, you can’t be serious,” she scoffs.  
“Oh really? And why is that?”   
“Because you’re a nobody, Goyle. You’re nothing without me.”   
“I would rather be ‘nothing’ without you than to have you patronizing me every single day,” Goyle says as he stares at her in disgust.  
“You can’t leave me,” Pansy says, as if it’s the most outrageous thing she has ever heard.  
“Oh I can,” Goyle says, his hand already on the doorknob. “And I will. Have a nice life, Pansy.” 

“How was your day?” Malfoy asks me that night when we meet up.  
“Very interesting,” I answer with a smirk.  
“Care to tell me why?”  
“I finally had that talk with Pansy,” I say, still grinning.  
“So how did it go?”   
“I don’t think she’ll be a problem anymore.”   
“Oh God, what did you do?” Malfoy sighs with an amused look.  
“Nothing!” I say, acting offended. “I thanked her.”   
“You did what?”   
“I thanked her, Malfoy. There’s no greater revenge than a happy life, didn’t you know?”   
He grins as he looks at me.  
“Well, that’s not too bad I suppose.”   
“I might have punched her in the face as well,” I say, laughing.   
Malfoy throws me a strict look but I can tell he’s just pretending. He grins slightly, pulls me into his lap and kisses me.  
“I was wondering,” he says a little while later, absently stroking my hair.  
“About what?”   
“Are you gonna talk to Liam?”   
I take a moment to think about it.  
“Eventually, yes.”   
“I think you should forgive him.”   
I stare at Draco in shock.  
“What do you mean?”   
“Well, to be fair, he messed up monumentally, but his intentions were good and let’s face it; you miss him.”   
“I don’t,” I say while throwing Malfoy a look.  
“You do, I can tell. You need to go talk to him and make things right.”  
“He was the reason for us being apart,” I say with a hard tone in my voice.  
“He’s also the reason that we’re back together,” Draco says as he looks at me.  
“Who would’ve thought that you of all people would make me forgive Liam?” I say.  
“Will you ever see some good in me or should I just give up?” Malfoy answers as he throws me a bored look.  
“You should definitely give up,” I say as I chuckle.   
“I’m no quitter, Johnson.”   
“I’m glad you’re not, Malfoy,” I say as I give him a peck on the cheek.  
When we say goodbye to each other later that night, I walk back to the Ravenclaw tower.  
As soon as I step inside I can see Liam sitting in an armchair.  
He looks up and I can tell he didn’t expect to see me.  
“I’m sorry, I’ll leave you alone,” he says quietly as he quickly stands up and starts heading for the stairs.  
“Liam, wait,” I say. As I look at him, I realise that I do in fact miss my best friend.  
Liam freezes in the middle of the room. Then he slowly turns around and looks at me. The regret is leaking through his eyes.  
“We need to talk, Liam.”   
“I didn’t think you would want to,” he replies.  
“In a way, I don’t,” I say reluctantly. “But this can’t go on like this.”   
He nods his head, then he walks back to his chair.  
“Liam, you hurt me terribly by doing what you did.”   
“I know. I’m so sorry,” he says. “You should know that I never wanted to hurt you. I wish I never did it, there’s nothing that I regret more and I would take it back in a heartbeat if I could.”  
The tears in his eyes hurt me more than I expected.  
“I know why you did it. You wanted to protect me. You made a mistake, but everybody does sometimes. You made it right though, by bringing Draco and me together again. I want you to know that I forgive you.”   
“Really?” he says, his expression nothing but relief.  
“Yes, really. Just promise me that you’ll come talk to me next time something’s up,” I say with a little smile.  
“I promise,” he says as he stands up from his chair. He pulls me up and into a tight hug.  
“What’s going on here?” I hear a female voice ask, and as I look up I can see Alicia standing in the doorway.  
“Liam and I were talking,” I answer.  
“So does that mean you have forgiven him?”   
I nod my head.  
“I hate fighting with you guys,” I say. “Malfoy and I are finally on good terms and I just need the two of you by my side.”   
Alicia looks at us for a moment but then she walks up to us.  
“I guess it would be weird if I stay mad at Liam when you found it in your heart to forgive him,” she says.  
“He’s not a bad person, Alicia.”   
“I know, he’s just stupid, is all.”   
We look at each other for a moment, then we burst into laughter.

The three of us walk towards the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning. We’re halfway there when I see Malfoy. As soon as he sees us he walks up to us.  
“Well, this isn’t awkward at all,” Alicia says as she rolls her eyes.  
I can’t help but to laugh.  
“I’m guessing everything’s alright then?” Draco asks while looking at Liam.  
I nod my head to confirm.  
“Malfoy, I wanted to say-” Liam says, but Draco hushes him almost immediately.  
“Please don’t say you’re sorry, dude. I really don’t feel like running through a field of flowers while holding your hand, okay?”   
Liam turns a little red but he’s also grinning.  
“Fine,” he says.  
“Just make sure you keep your head out of your ass,” Malfoy says.  
“And you make sure you won’t hurt Emily. I could always change my mind about you,” he replies.  
I’m surprised to see Draco grin.  
“Great, did everyone hug it out? Let’s go get some breakfast then,” Alicia says with a smirk. Then she grabs Liam’s sleeve and pulls him towards the Great Hall, leaving me and Draco behind.  
“I’m glad everything worked out in the end,” I say.  
“So am I,” he says as he pushes one of my curls behind my ear. “And now that everything’s back to normal, I want to make it official.”   
“I’m not sure I follow,” I say, a little confused.  
“Really, Johnson?” he sighs, but then he smiles. “I want to make us official.”   
“Are you asking me to be your-”   
“Girlfriend? You know what, I think I am.”   
Instead of answering his question I stand on my toes and kiss him.  
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he says after I let him go. He offers me his arm and we walk towards the Great Hall together. As I look up to him, I realise how happy I am.  
It didn’t always seem like things would work out and there were quite a few bumps in the road, but we made it.  
I never expected myself to end up with Draco Malfoy, but this is what fate had in store for me and I’m glad it did.

 

~~~~ The End ~~~~


End file.
